Enhanced travel modes for vehicles

ABSTRACT

A method for operating a fleet of vehicles may include determining a first set of parameters for operating a first vehicle as it travels to a destination, and determining a second set of parameters for operating a second vehicle. Consumption of the first set of parameters by the first vehicle may cause the first vehicle to accelerate, alter shocks and/or suspensions, and/or move into a free lane. Consumption of the second set of parameters by the second vehicle may cause the second vehicle to remain outside of a drive envelope of the first vehicle, between the first vehicle and the particular destination.

This application claims priority to and is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/727,234, filed on Oct. 6, 2017, the entirecontents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

Vehicles may be used to transport people between different locations.Normal driving procedures may include maneuvering the vehicle within theconfines of a lane, maneuvering around turns in the road, safely passingthrough intersections, as well as complying with traffic laws. In mostscenarios, all vehicles traveling on a road may be given equal priorityin order to reach their respective destinations. In such scenarios, allvehicles may be controlled so as to maximize the efficiency of trafficflow on the road and/or on portions of a road network.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is described with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentify the figure in which the reference number first appears. Thesame reference numbers in different figures indicate similar oridentical items.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example environment through which anexample vehicle travels along a road of a road network. As shown in FIG.1, such a vehicle may include a preferential travel input deviceconfigured to enable a passenger of the vehicle to request a prioritizedpath or other preferential travel benefits when traveling to aparticular destination.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example vehicle systemarchitecture.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an example vehicle control systemarchitecture useful for interacting with vehicles remotely.

FIGS. 4a and 4b are schematic views of a portion of an example roadnetwork in which example vehicles are traveling along respective paths.In such examples, at least one of the vehicles may be traveling along aprioritized path to a particular destination.

FIGS. 5a and 5b are additional schematic views of a portion of anexample road network in which example vehicles are traveling alongrespective paths.

FIGS. 6a and 6b are further schematic views of a portion of an exampleroad network in which example vehicles are traveling along respectivepaths.

FIGS. 7a and 7b are still further schematic views of a portion of anexample road network in which example vehicles are traveling alongrespective paths.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example method for operating one or morevehicles traveling in an example road network. Such an example methodmay include determining and providing one or more sets of parametersgoverning operation of one or more vehicles while the vehicles travel torespective destinations.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure is generally directed to facilitating interactionbetween a vehicle, such as a driverless vehicle, a remotely locatedvehicle control system, one or more other vehicles, and/or one or moreother devices (e.g., traffic signals, signs, barriers, bridges, etc.).As mentioned above, such a vehicle traveling on a road of a roadnetwork, from a first location to a particular destination at a secondlocation, may require or request preferential travel for a variety ofreasons. For example, the vehicle and/or a passenger thereof may be partof a travel program or other premium service in which prioritized orpreferential travel is a benefit. A passenger of the vehicle may alsorequest preferential travel in emergency situations or in othertime-sensitive situations. In such circumstances, for example, thepassenger may provide a touch input, a voice input, a gesture input,and/or other input via a preferential travel input device of thevehicle. The preferential travel input device may be operably connectedto a vehicle controller configured to process such an input, and toprovide a signal indicative of such an input to the remotely locatedvehicle control system. The input may additionally or alternatively beprovided to the vehicle controller by one or more applications operableon a mobile phone, tablet, laptop computer, or other electronic device,and in such examples, such electronic devices may comprise apreferential travel input device. In still further examples, suchpreferential travel may be a preset user setting and/or asubscription-based service associated with the vehicle and/or the user.In such examples, the vehicle may automatically be granted preferentialtravel once the passenger enters the vehicle and/or once the vehicle isturned on. Additionally, the passenger may be granted preferentialtravel upon paying a subscription fee and/or upon paying a one-time feeupon requesting preferential travel.

As will be described in greater detail below, during normal operations,the vehicle may travel and/or otherwise operate according to a set ofnominal operating parameters or parameters, and such operatingparameters may be adjusted if preferential travel is requested by apassenger of the vehicle. For example, upon receiving a request from thepassenger, the vehicle controller may provide a signal indicative of arequest for preferential travel to the remote vehicle control system viaone or more wireless networks. Based at least partly on such a request,the remote vehicle control system may determine a set of parameters thatincludes modifications to the nominal operating parameters currentlygoverning operation of the vehicle from which the request forpreferential travel originated (e.g., a “requesting vehicle”). Such aset of modified parameters may include, for example, a new/modifiedspeed threshold below which the requesting vehicle may be permitted and,in some situations, required to operate, a new/modified drive line alongwhich the requesting vehicle may be permitted and, in some situations,required to travel, a new/modified drive envelope along which or withinwhich the requesting vehicle may be permitted and, in some situations,required to travel, new/modified traffic rules (e.g., rules governingvehicle operation with regard to stop signs, traffic lights, no passingzones, school zones, or other areas) with which the requesting vehiclemust abide, and/or other new/modified rules or limitations for operatingthe requesting vehicle within the road network.

In some examples, the set of parameters may include road network dataand/or other information that may be used by a vehicle controller of therequesting vehicle to generate a drive envelope that defines aprioritized path along which the requesting vehicle may travel betweenthe vehicle's current location in the road network to the desireddestination. Alternatively, such a set of new/modified parameters mayidentify, define, and/or include such a prioritized path. Such aprioritized path may include a path in which none of the additionalvehicles, or a limited number of additional vehicles, in the roadnetwork are disposed within a drive envelope of the requesting vehicleas the requesting vehicle travels to the destination. In some examples,the prioritized path may be selected and/or otherwise determined basedat least in part on the fact that no other vehicles are present withinsuch a drive envelope. Additionally or alternatively, the additionalvehicles in the road network may be actively controlled to avoid thetrajectory of the requesting vehicle. In such examples, the signalprovided to the remote vehicle control system by the vehicle controllermay include sensor information and/or other information indicative ofthe requesting vehicle's current location. The signal may also includean address, global positioning coordinates, and/or other indication ofthe desired destination. The signal may further include an identifieruniquely identifying the requesting vehicle, an additional identifieruniquely identifying one or more passengers of the requesting vehicle,and/or other information related to the request. Further, in any of theexamples described herein, such a “drive envelope” may be defined as apreferred area on which the vehicle should drive to reach a destinationhaving an extent along a direction of travel associated with a distancethe vehicle may traverse in a fixed period of time (e.g., according to areceding horizon technique) or a specified finite distance. For example,such a drive envelope may extend a length along a drive segment, line,and/or route along which the requesting vehicle may be controlled totravel for approximately 10 seconds. Alternatively, such a driveenvelope may extend a fixed distance, e.g. 500 feet, in the direction ofa line and/or route along which the requesting vehicle may be controlledto travel. Such a “drive envelope” may comprise a drive line indicatingan ideal line for the vehicle to follow within the drive envelope. Asused herein, a trajectory may be a selected subset of the “driveenvelope” in which the vehicle actually traverses, or is selected totraverse. It is understood that the finite period of time and finitedistance noted above are merely examples and, in further embodiments,such finite periods of time and finite distances may be greater than orless than those noted above.

In such examples, and based at least in part on the request, one or morecomputing devices of the remote vehicle control system may determine afirst set of parameters associated with the requesting vehicle as wellas one or more additional sets of parameters associated with theremaining vehicles in the road network. The first set of parameters mayrequire that the requesting vehicle travel along a prioritized path fromthe vehicle's current location to the particular destination. Such aprioritized path may be configured such that none of the additionalvehicles in the road network are disposed within one or more driveenvelopes (e.g., a series of consecutive drive envelopes) of therequesting vehicle as the requesting vehicle travels to the destination.The additional sets of parameters may require that the remainingvehicles in the road network remain outside of the prioritized path ofthe requesting vehicle. For example, a second set of parameters providedto a second vehicle traveling in the road network may require that thesecond vehicle remain outside of the trajectory of the requestingvehicle as the requesting vehicle travels to a destination. Further, insome examples the signal sent to the remote vehicle control system bythe requesting vehicle may identify an area, zone, radius, and/or otherlocation that is to be avoided by the additional vehicles in the roadnetwork (e.g., a temporary non-entry zone) when the requesting vehicleis disposed proximate and/or within such a location. In such examples,such locations may be identified in the one or more additional sets ofparameters determined by the remote vehicle control system.

Additionally, while some embodiments of the present disclosure relate tocentralized control examples in which signals are provided to a remotevehicle control system and in which the remote vehicle control systemdetermines one or more sets of parameters based at least in part on suchsignals, in other embodiments, such a remote vehicle control system maybe omitted. For example, in additional decentralized control embodimentsthe vehicle controller of the requesting vehicle may provide a signalindicative of a request for preferential travel to the respectivevehicle controllers of one or more of the additional vehicles located inthe road network via the one or more wireless networks. In suchembodiments, the vehicle controller of the requesting vehicle maydetermine a first set of parameters including, among other things, aprioritized path for the requesting vehicle to travel along. As notedabove, such a prioritized path may include one or more drive envelopesand/or trajectories, and none of the additional vehicles may be disposedwithin or along such drive envelopes and/or trajectories as therequesting vehicle travels along the prioritized path to thedestination. Additionally, based at least partly on such a request, thevehicle controllers of the additional vehicles may determine additionalrespective sets of parameters for operating the corresponding vehicles.Such additional sets of parameters require that each of the additionalvehicles remain outside of the one or more trajectories of theprioritized path as the requesting vehicle travels to the destination.In some examples, one or more of the additional vehicles and/or ownersor passengers of the additional vehicles may be compensated foroperating in accordance with such additional respective sets ofparameters and/or for otherwise facilitating the preferential travel ofthe requesting vehicle. For example, as part of requesting preferentialtravel and/or as a requirement for being granted preferential travel, apassenger of the requesting vehicle may pay a corresponding fee. In suchexamples, at least a portion of the fee may be distributed to an owneror passenger of one or more of the remaining vehicles within the roadnetwork whose travel is hindered, de-prioritized and/or otherwiseaffected by the requesting vehicle being granted preferential orprioritized travel. The techniques and systems described herein may beimplemented in a number of ways. Example implementations are providedbelow with reference to the figures.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example environment 100 throughwhich an example vehicle 102 travels. The example environment 100includes a road network 104 including a plurality of example roads 106having two pairs 108 of lanes 110 a, 110 b separated by a median ordouble-yellow line 112. For example, a first lane 110 a, a second lane110 b, and/or one or more additional lanes may be at least partiallydefined by a lane dividing line 114 and/or a lane boundary line 116. Theexample road 106 also includes shoulders 118 located on opposite sidesof the road 106. FIG. 1 also shows an example geographic location 120associated with a departure location including a structure 122, such asa house or building, and an example destination 124 also including astructure 126, such as a house or building. The road network 104provides a number of roads 106 defining a path between the geographiclocation 120 and the destination 124, and FIG. 1 shows an enlarged viewof a portion of an example road 106. The road network 104 may include anumber of features, such as curves, intersections with cross-roads,crosswalks, traffic signs, traffic lights, railroad crossings, bridges,traffic circles, directional arrows, etc.

As shown in FIG. 1, the example vehicle 102 may travel through theexample environment 100 via the road network 104 according to a pathextending from the geographic location 120 to the particular destination124. For the purpose of illustration, the vehicle 102 may be adriverless vehicle, such as an autonomous vehicle configured to operateaccording to a Level 5 classification issued by the U.S. NationalHighway Traffic Safety Administration, which describes a vehicle capableof performing all safety-critical functions for the entire trip, withthe driver (or occupant) not being expected to control the vehicle atany time. In that case, since the vehicle 102 may be configured tocontrol all functions from start to completion of the trip, includingall parking functions, it may not include a driver. This is merely anexample, and the systems and methods described herein may beincorporated into any ground-borne, airborne, or waterborne vehicle,including those ranging from vehicles that need to be manuallycontrolled by a driver at all times, to those that are partially orfully autonomously controlled.

The example vehicle 102 shown in FIG. 1 is an automobile having fourwheels 128 and respective tires for each of the wheels 128. Other typesand configurations of vehicles are contemplated, such as, for example,vans, sport utility vehicles, cross-over vehicles, trucks, buses,agricultural vehicles, and construction vehicles. The vehicle 102 may bepowered by one or more internal combustion engines, one or more electricmotors, hydrogen power, any combination thereof, and/or any othersuitable power sources. In addition, although the example vehicle 102has four wheels 128, the systems and methods described herein may beincorporated into vehicles having fewer or a greater number of wheels,tires, and/or tracks. The example vehicle 102 has four-wheel steeringand may operate generally with equal performance characteristics in alldirections, for example, such that a first end 130 of the vehicle 102 isthe front end of the vehicle 102 when travelling in a first direction132, and such that the first end 130 becomes the rear end of the vehicle102 when traveling in the opposite, second direction 134, as shown inFIG. 1. Similarly, a second end 136 of the vehicle 102 is the front endof the vehicle 102 when travelling in the second direction 134, and suchthat the second end 136 becomes the rear end of the vehicle 102 whentraveling in the opposite, first direction 132. These examplecharacteristics may facilitate greater maneuverability, for example, insmall spaces or crowded environments, such as parking lots and urbanareas.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, and as will be explained in greaterdetail below, the vehicle 102 may use various sensors and a vehiclecontroller to autonomously operate through the environment 100 along apath via the road network 104. For example, the vehicle controller maybe configured to determine a drive envelope 138 defined by virtualboundaries 140 within which the vehicle 102 may travel. For example, thedrive envelope 138 may have a variable envelope width 142 in the widthdirection of the vehicle 102, and a variable envelope length 144extending in the direction of travel of the vehicle 102. In someexamples, the virtual boundaries 140 of the drive envelope 138 may bedetermined based at least in part on sensor data received from sensorsassociated with the vehicle 102 and/or road network data received by thevehicle 102 via a road network data store, as explained in more detailherein. In some examples, the vehicle 102 may travel along a drive line146 within the drive envelope 138. In such examples, the drive line 146may extend approximately centrally through the drive envelope 138, andthe drive envelope 138 may define at least part of the path along whichthe vehicle 102 travels to reach the particular destination 124. Forexample, the path along which the vehicle 102 travels may beapproximately as wide as the vehicle 102 and/or the envelope width 142.In some examples, the drive line 146 may be, or may be used todetermine, a trajectory along which the vehicle 102 may follow toachieve the desired path. Such a trajectory may be determined by,substantially simultaneously, generating a plurality of trajectories andselecting one of the trajectories which is best able to achieve thepath. In such examples, the trajectory may be calculated in accordancewith a receding horizon technique such that the trajectory only providescommands for a particular time window (e.g. less than 10 seconds) and isrecalculated at a certain frequency (e.g. 10 Hz, 30 Hz, etc.).

The vehicle 102 may also include a preferential travel input device 148and a preferential travel output device 150. Shown schematically in FIG.1, the preferential travel input device 148 and the preferential traveloutput device 150 may comprise separate respective devices or componentsof the vehicle 102. Alternatively, the preferential travel input device148 and the preferential travel output device 150 may comprise a singleinput/output device. The preferential travel input device 148 may beconfigured to assist a passenger with requesting preferential travel tothe destination 124 and, in particular, with requesting a set ofparameters governing operation of the vehicle 102 as the vehicle travelsto the destination 124. Such a set of parameters may include, forexample, road network data, global positioning information, trafficrules, and/or other information that may be utilized as inputs to avehicle controller of the vehicle 102. In such examples, the vehiclecontroller of the vehicle 102 may generate and/or otherwise determine adrive envelope including a drive line 146. As noted above, in any of theexamples described herein, such a drive line 146 may be, or may be usedto determine, one or more trajectories (e.g., a series of consecutivetrajectories) along which the vehicle 102 may travel. In this way, thedrive line 146 and/or the one or more trajectories may define aprioritized path extending from the vehicle 102 to the destination 124.In additional examples, the set of parameters may define and/orotherwise include a drive envelope that includes and/or otherwisedefines the prioritized path.

In some examples, the preferential travel input device 148 may comprisea button, switch, knob, lever, or other component of the vehicle 102configured to receive a manual, physical, or touch input from apassenger. Such a preferential travel input device 148 may also compriseone or more touch screen displays, physical keyboards, virtual keyboards(e.g., a keyboard displayed via a touch screen or other display device),or other user interface devices of the vehicle 102 configured to receivesuch input. In still further examples, the preferential travel inputdevice 148 may comprise one or more microphones configured to receivevoice commands or other audible input from the passenger, and/or one ormore cameras configured to receive visual or gesture input. In suchexamples, the vehicle controller may include voice recognitionfunctionality, gesture recognition functionality, or other suchcapabilities in order to process inputs received via the preferentialtravel input device 148. In any of the examples described herein, thepreferential travel output device 150 may comprise a speaker, a display(e.g., a touch screen display), a heads-up display, and/or other suchdevice configured to display, announce, and/or otherwise output at leastpart of a prioritized path along which the vehicle 102 may travel. Thepreferential travel output device 150 may include any of the componentsdescribed above with respect to the preferential travel input device148. The preferential travel input device 148 and the preferentialtravel output device 150 may be operably and/or otherwise connected tothe vehicle controller of the vehicle 102. It is also understood thatsuch inputs and/or outputs may be provided by one or more applicationsoperable on a mobile phone, tablet, laptop computer, or other electronicdevice that are in communication (wirelessly or otherwise) with thevehicle 102, and in such examples, such electronic devices may comprisea preferential travel input device 148 and/or a preferential traveloutput device 150.

In some examples, the preferential travel input device 148 may beconfigured to receive an input from a passenger of the vehicle 102indicative of a request for preferential travel, and the preferentialtravel input device 148 may be configured to generate and/or send asignal to the vehicle controller of the vehicle 102 containinginformation indicative of the request, at least partly in response tosuch an input. In such examples, the vehicle controller of the vehicle102 may be communicatively and/or otherwise connected to a network 152,and the vehicle controller may provide a corresponding signal and/orrequest to a remote vehicle control system 154 via the network 152. Inany of the examples described herein, a request for preferential travelmay comprise a request for a prioritized drive envelope and/or pathextending from the vehicle 102 to a particular destination 124 that isaccessible via the road network 104 on which the vehicle 102 istraveling. In response, the vehicle controller of the vehicle 102 mayrequest assistance from the remote vehicle control system 154 and, inparticular, may request the determination of a set of modifiedparameters governing operation of the vehicle 102 as the vehicle 102travels to the particular destination 124. Such a set of modifiedparameters may include, for example, an alteration of at least one ofthe nominal operating parameters currently governing operation of thevehicle 102. In another example, such a set of modified parameters mayinclude at least one additional operating parameter not included in thenominal operating parameters. In a further example, such a set ofmodified parameters may omit one or more of the nominal operatingparameters. In some examples, the vehicle 102 may be a part of a fleetof vehicles in communication with the remote vehicle control system 154via the network 152. In such examples, the signal provided by thevehicle controller of the vehicle 102 may include sensor informationand/or other information indicative of a current location of the vehicle102. The signal may also include an address, global positioningcoordinates, and/or other indication of the desired destination 124, andsuch information may be provided by the passenger via the preferentialtravel input device 148. The signal may further include an identifieruniquely identifying the requesting vehicle 102, an additionalidentifier uniquely identifying one or more passengers of the requestingvehicle 102, and/or other information related to the request.

As will be explained in further detail below, at least partly inresponse to such a request, the remote vehicle control system 154 maydetermine a first set of modified parameters governing operation of thevehicle 102. The first set of modified parameters may include a modified(e.g., prioritized) drive envelope 138 comprising a modified (e.g.,prioritized) drive line 146. As noted above, such a drive line 146 maycomprise one or more trajectories (e.g., a series of consecutivetrajectories) defining a prioritized path from the vehicle 102 to thedestination 124. In any of the examples described herein, the first setof modified parameters may include road network data and/or otherinformation that may be used by the vehicle controller of the vehicle102 to determine such a drive envelope and/or prioritized path. Forexample, the first set of modified parameters may also identify portionsof the road network 104 which may or may not be used by the requestingvehicle 102 as the vehicle 102 travels to the destination 124. At leastpartly in response to such a request, the remote vehicle control system154 may also determine a second set of modified parameters governingoperation of a second vehicle of the fleet of vehicles. Such a secondset of parameters may include a modified (e.g., a reduced priority)drive envelope 138 comprising a modified (e.g., a reduced priority)drive line 146. Such a drive line 146 may comprise one or moretrajectories (e.g., a series of consecutive trajectories) defining asecond path (e.g., a path of reduced priority) along which the secondvehicle of the fleet of vehicles travels such that the vehicle 102providing the request may have priority in reaching the destination 124along the road network 104. Alternatively, the second set of parametersmay include road network data and/or other information that may be usedby the vehicle controller of the second vehicle to determine such asecond path (e.g., by rerouting the second vehicle to take alternateroutes allowing the vehicle 102 to have less traffic on the prioritizedroute). In such examples, the second set of parameters may be at leastpartly more restrictive than the first set of parameters. For example,in accordance with the second set of parameters, the second vehicleand/or a remainder of the plurality of vehicles may be permitted and, insome situations, required to clear at least one of the first lane 110 aor the second lane 110 b of the road 106 such that the vehicle 102providing the request may travel along a prioritized path (i.e., atravel path in which none of the additional vehicles in the road networkare disposed within the drive envelope or along one or more trajectoriesof the requesting vehicle 102 as the requesting vehicle 102 travels tothe particular destination 124. In any of the examples described herein,one or more of the vehicles 102 may form a caravan and/or a motorcade asthe vehicles 102 travel together in the road 106. Further, in any of theexamples described herein, one or more of the vehicles 102 may includean input/output interface or other component that enables dynamic shortrange communication between the respective vehicles 102. For example,such components may enable a first vehicle 102 to communicate a firstset of modified parameters, a prioritized drive envelope 138, aprioritized drive line 146, one or more trajectories, a prioritizedpath, and/or any other information described herein to one or moreadditional vehicles 102 traversing the road network 104 havingcorresponding input/output interface components. Such additionalvehicles 102 may also be configured to communicate information back tothe first vehicle 102, using the corresponding input/output interfacecomponents, in response to information received from the first vehicle102.

In some examples, and as shown schematically in FIG. 1, the remotevehicle control system 154 may be located at a remote control center156, and one or more human operators 158 may also be located at theremote control center 156 in order to operate the remote vehicle controlsystem 154. In some examples, one or more of the operators 158 may notbe human. For example, they may be computer systems leveragingartificial intelligence, machine learning, and/or other decision makingstrategies in order to operate the remote vehicle control system 154. Inthe example shown, the operator 158 may interact with one or morevehicles 102 in the fleet of vehicles via an operator computing device160. The operator computing device 160 may include one or more displays162 configured to provide the operator 158 with data related tooperation of the vehicle 102, a subset of the fleet of vehicles, and/orthe fleet of vehicles. For example, the display(s) 162 may be configuredto show data related to sensor signals received from the vehicles 102,data related to the road network 104, requests for preferential travelreceived from the vehicles 102, and/or additional data or information tofacilitate providing travel paths, vehicle information, directions,and/or other information or assistance to the vehicles 102. In addition,the operator computing device 160 may include an operator input device164 configured to allow the operator 158 to provide information to oneor more of the vehicles 102, for example, in the form of signalsproviding guidance to the vehicles 102. The operator input device 164may include one or more of a touch-sensitive screen, a stylus, a mouse,a dial, a keyboard, a keypad, and/or a gesture-input system configuredto translate gestures performed by the operator 158 into input commandsfor the computing device 160. As explained in more detail below, theremote vehicle control system 154 may provide one or more of thevehicles 102 with a set of modified parameters that may be used by thelocal vehicle controllers of the respective vehicles 102 to governoperation of the respective vehicle 102. It is understood, however, thatany of the methods and/or operations described herein with respect tothe remote vehicle control system 154 may be performed by one or more ofthe respective vehicle controllers of the vehicles 102 traversing theroad network 104. In such examples, the remote vehicle control system154 may be omitted and, for example, the various sets of parameters,drive envelopes, paths, drive lines, trajectories, and/or otheroperational parameters described herein may be determined and/orprovided by at least one of the vehicle controllers.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example architecture 200 includingvehicle systems 202 for controlling operation of the systems thatprovide data associated with operation of the vehicle 102, and thatcontrol operation of the vehicle 102. Any of the components describedwith respect to FIG. 2 may be incorporated into one or more of thevehicles 102 described herein.

In various implementations, the architecture 200 may be implementedusing a uniprocessor system including one processor, or a multiprocessorsystem including several processors (e.g., two, four, eight, or anothersuitable number). The processor(s) may be any suitable processor capableof executing instructions. For example, in various implementations, theprocessor(s) may be general-purpose or embedded processors implementingany of a variety of instruction set architectures (ISAs), such as thex86, PowerPC, SPARC, or MIPS ISAs, or any other suitable ISA. Inmultiprocessor systems, each processor may commonly, but notnecessarily, implement the same ISA. In some examples, the processor(s)may include a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit(GPU), or a combination thereof. The processor(s) may comprise acomponent of the vehicle controller described herein. In some examples,the processor(s) may include one or more field-programmable gate arrays,application-specific integrated circuits, microprocessors, and/or otherprocessor components.

The example architecture 200 may include a non-transitory computerreadable media configured to store executable instructions/modules,data, and/or data items accessible by the processor(s). In variousimplementations, the non-transitory computer readable media may beimplemented using any suitable memory technology, such as static randomaccess memory (SRAM), synchronous dynamic RAM (SDRAM),nonvolatile/Flash-type memory, or any other type of memory. In theillustrated implementation, program instructions and data implementingdesired functions, such as those described above, are shown storedwithin the non-transitory computer readable memory. In otherimplementations, program instructions, and/or data may be received,sent, or stored on different types of computer-accessible media, such asnon-transitory media, or on similar media separate from thenon-transitory computer readable media. Generally, a non-transitory,computer readable memory may include storage media or memory media, suchas flash memory (e.g., solid state memory), magnetic or optical media(e.g., a disk) coupled to the architecture 200 via an I/O interface.Program instructions and data stored via a non-transitory computerreadable medium may be transmitted by transmission media or signals suchas electrical, electromagnetic, or digital signals, which may beconveyed via a communication medium such as a network and/or a wirelesslink, such as may be implemented via a network interface.

In some implementations, the I/O interface may be configured tocoordinate I/O traffic between the processor(s), the non-transitorycomputer readable media, and any peripheral devices, the networkinterface, or other peripheral interfaces, such as input/output devices.In some implementations, the I/O interface may perform any necessaryprotocol, timing, or other data transformations to convert data signalsfrom one component (e.g., the non-transitory computer readable media)into a format suitable for use by another component (e.g.,processor(s)). In some implementations, the I/O interface may includesupport for devices attached through various types of peripheral buses,such as a variant of the Peripheral Component Interconnect (PCI) busstandard or the Universal Serial Bus (USB) standard, for example. Insome implementations, the function of the I/O interface may be splitinto two or more separate components, such as a north bridge and a southbridge, for example. Also, in some implementations, some or all of thefunctionality of the I/O interface, such as an interface to thenon-transitory computer readable media, may be incorporated directlyinto the processor(s).

In the example architecture 200 shown in FIG. 2, the example vehiclesystems 202 include a plurality of sensors 204, for example, configuredto sense movement of the vehicle 102 through the environment 100, senseenvironmental data, such as the ambient temperature, pressure, andhumidity, and/or sense objects in the environment 100 surrounding thevehicle 102. In some examples, the sensors 204 may include sensorsconfigured to identify a location on a map (e.g., a geographic locationof the vehicle 102). The sensors 204 may include, for example, one ormore light detection and ranging sensors (LIDAR), one or more cameras,one or more radio detection and ranging sensors (RADAR), one or moresound navigation and ranging sensors (SONAR) (e.g., ultrasonictransducers), one or more microphones for sensing sounds in theenvironment 100, such as sirens from law enforcement and emergencyvehicles, and other sensors related to the operation of the vehicle 102.Other sensors may include a speed sensor, sensors related to operationof internal combustion engines and/or electric motors, sensors relatedto the tires to detect tire temperature, tire pressure, and tread depth,and/or brake-related sensors for detecting brake temperatures and/orwear, and in vehicles having regenerative braking, sensors for detectingparameters related to operation of the regenerative braking system. Thesensors 204 may also include, for example, inertial measurement units(IMUs), accelerometers, and gyroscopes. The sensors 204 may beconfigured to provide sensor data 206 representative of the sensedobjects and signals to the vehicle systems 202 via, for example, aninput/output (I/O) interface 208. Other types of sensors and sensor dataare contemplated. As noted above, in some examples one or more of theI/O interfaces 208 described herein, and/or the vehicle system 202generally, may include an antenna, transmitter, transceiver, and/orother components configured to enable dynamic short range communicationbetween the vehicles 102. In particular, such components may enable thetransfer of signals and/or information between the vehicles 102 as thevehicles traverse the road network 104.

The example vehicle systems 202 also include location systems 210configured to receive location information, including position andorientation data (e.g., a local position or local pose (e.g., a locationand orientation)) from the sensors 204 and/or external sources, andprovide location data 212 to other portions of the vehicle systems 202via the I/O interface 208. The external sources may include globalsatellites for facilitating operation of a global positioning system(GPS) and/or a wireless network for communicating and receivinginformation related to the vehicle's location, such as map data. Thelocation systems 210 may also include sensors configured to assist withnavigation of the vehicle 102, such as wheel encoders for sensing therotation of the wheels 128, inertial navigation sensors, such asgyroscopes and/or accelerometers, and/or cameras for obtaining imagedata for dead-reckoning navigation (e.g., visual odometery), a Bayesianfiltering schema (e.g. SLAM), bundle adjustment, or the like.

The example vehicle systems 202 also include one or more of a pathcalculator 214, an object data calculator 216, an object classifier 218,a collision predictor system 220, a kinematics calculator 222, and asafety system actuator 224. The vehicle systems 202 may be configured toaccess one or more data stores including, but not limited to, an objecttype data store 226. The object type data store 226 may include datarepresenting object types associated with object classifications forobjects detected in the environment 100.

The example vehicle systems 202 shown in FIG. 2 also include a vehiclecontroller 228 configured to receive vehicle control data 230, and basedon the vehicle control data 230, communicate with a drive system 232(e.g., a steering system, a propulsion system, suspension system, and/ora braking system) to control operation of the vehicle 102. For example,the vehicle control data 230 may be derived from data received from oneof more of the sensors 204 and one or more of the path calculator 214,the object data calculator 216, the object classifier 218, the collisionpredictor system 220, the kinematics calculator 222, and the safetysystem actuator 224, and control operation of the drive system 232, sothat operation and maneuvering of the vehicle 102 is executed.

In some examples, the path calculator 214 may comprise a software and/orhardware component of the vehicle controller 228, and the pathcalculator 214 may be configured to generate data representative of atrajectory of the vehicle 102, for example, using data representing alocation of the vehicle 102 in the environment 100 and other data, suchas local pose data, that may be included in the location data 212. Insome examples, the path calculator 214 may also be configured todetermine projected trajectories predicted to be executed by the vehicle102. The path calculator 214 may, in some examples, be configured tocalculate data associated with a predicted motion of an object in theenvironment 100, and may determine a predicted object path associatedwith the predicted motion of the object. In some examples, the objectpath may include the predicted object path. In some examples, the objectpath may include a predicted object trajectory. In some examples, thepath calculator 214 may be configured to predict more than a singlepredicted object trajectory. For example, the path calculator 214 may beconfigured to predict multiple object trajectories based on, forexample, probabilistic determinations or multi-modal distributions ofpredicted positions, trajectories, and/or velocities associated with anobject. In any of the examples described herein, the path calculator 214may configured to generate and/or otherwise determine a path along orwithin which the vehicle 102 will travel, and such a path may bedetermined by the path calculator 214 based at least partly on and/or inaccordance with a set of parameters provided by the remote vehiclecontrol system 154. In particular, in some examples the path calculator214 may be configured to determine a drive envelope 138 defining and/orincluding a drive line 146 along or within which the vehicle 102 willtravel to the destination 124. Such a drive line 146 may indicate anideal line for the vehicle 102 to follow and may further comprise one ormore trajectories (e.g., a series of consecutive trajectories), and thedrive line 146 and/or such trajectories may define a prioritized pathextending from the vehicle 102 to the destination 124.

In some examples, the object data calculator 216 may be configured toprovide data representative of, for example, one or more of the locationof an object in the environment 100 surrounding the vehicle 102, anobject track associated with the object, and an object classificationassociated with the object. For example, the object data calculator 216may be configured to receive data in the form of sensor signals receivedfrom one or more of the sensors 204 and determine data representing oneor more of the location in the environment 100 of the object, the objecttrack, and the object classification.

In some examples, the object classifier 218 may be configured to accessdata from the object type data store 226, which may be configured tostore data representing object types, such as, for example, a species ofan object classification, a subclass of an object classification, and/ora subset of an object classification. The object classifier 218, in someexamples, may be configured to analyze data representing an object trackand data representing an object classification with data representing anobject type, and determine an object type based at least in part on theobject track and classification data. For example, a detected objecthaving an object classification of an “automobile” may have an objecttype of “sedan,” “coupe,” “hatch-back,” “sports utility vehicle,”“pick-up truck,” or “minivan.” An object type may include additionalsubclasses or subsets. For example, a “sedan” that is parked may have anadditional subclass designation of being “static” or “being dynamic” ifmoving.

In some examples, the collision predictor system 220 may be configuredto use the data representing the object type, the data representing thetrajectory of the object, and/or the data representing the trajectory ofthe vehicle 102, to predict a collision between the vehicle 102 and theobject.

In some examples, the kinematics calculator 222 may be configured todetermine data representing one or more scalar and/or vector quantitiesassociated with motion of objects in the environment 100, including, butnot limited to, velocity, speed, acceleration, deceleration, momentum,local pose, and/or force. Data from the kinematics calculator 222 may beused to compute other data, including, but not limited to, datarepresenting an estimated time to impact between an object and thevehicle 102, and data representing a distance between the object and thevehicle 102. In some examples, the kinematics calculator 222 may beconfigured to predict a likelihood that other objects in the environment100 (e.g., cars, motorcyclists, pedestrians, cyclists, and animals) aremoving in an alert or controlled state, versus an un-alert oruncontrolled state. For example, the kinematics calculator 222 may beconfigured estimate the probability that other objects are moving asthough they are being controlled and/or are behaving in a predictablemanner, or whether they are not being controlled and/or behaving in anunpredictable manner, for example, by observing motion of the objectover time and relative to other objects in the environment 100. Forexample, if the objects are moving erratically or without appearing toadjust to the presence or motion of other objects in the environment100, this may be an indication that the objects are either uncontrolledor moving in an unpredictable manner. This may be inferred based onsensor data received over time that may be used to estimate or predict afuture location of the object relative to a current or future trajectoryof the vehicle 102.

In some examples, the safety system actuator 224 may be configured toactivate one or more safety systems of the vehicle 102 when a collisionis predicted by the collision predictor 220 and/or the occurrence ofother safety related events, such as, for example, an emergency maneuverby the vehicle 102, such as hard braking or a sharp acceleration. Thesafety system actuator 224 may be configured to activate an interiorsafety system (e.g., including seat belt pre-tensioners and/or airbags), an exterior safety system (e.g., including warning sounds and/orwarning lights), the drive system 232 configured to execute an emergencymaneuver to avoid a collision, and/or any combination thereof. Forexample, the drive system 232 may receive data for causing a steeringsystem of the vehicle 102 to change the travel direction of the vehicle102, and a propulsion system of the vehicle 102 to change the speed ofthe vehicle 102 to alter the trajectory of vehicle 102 from an initialtrajectory to a trajectory for avoiding a collision.

The vehicle systems 202 may operate according to the following example.Data representing a trajectory of the vehicle 102 in the environment 100may be received by the vehicle controller 228. Object data associatedwith an object in the environment 100 surrounding the vehicle 102 may becalculated. Sensor data 206 from one or more of the sensors 204 may beused to calculate the object data. The object data may include datarepresenting the location of the object in the environment 100, anobject track associated with the object, such as whether the object isstationary or moving, and an object classification associated with theobject, such as whether the object is another vehicle, a pedestrian, acyclist, an animal, or a stationary object. In some examples, the objectdata calculator 216, based on the object data, may be used to determinedata representing the object's location in the environment 100, datarepresenting whether the object is moving, and data representing aclassification associated with the object.

In some examples, the path calculator 214 may use the object data todetermine a predicted path of the object in the environment, forexample, based on data representing the location of the object and mayprocess that data to generate data representing a predicted object path.Data representing the type of object may be determined based on the datarepresenting whether the object is moving, data representing theobject's classification, and/or data representing object's type. Apedestrian not in motion, a vehicle in motion, and traffic sign, a lanemarker, or a fire hydrant, none of which is in motion, are examples ofobject types with an associated motion data.

In some examples, the collision predictor system 220 may be used topredict a collision between the vehicle 102 and an object in theenvironment 100 based on the object type, whether the object is moving,the trajectory of the vehicle 102, the predicted path of the objectobtained from the path calculator 214. For example, a collision may bepredicted based in part on the object type due to the object moving, thetrajectory of the object being in potential conflict with the trajectoryof the vehicle 102, and the object having an object classification thatindicates the object is a likely collision threat.

In some examples, the safety system actuator 224 may be configured toactuate one or more portions of a safety system of the vehicle 102 whena collision is predicted. For example, the safety system actuator 224may activate one or more safety systems of the vehicle 102, such as, forexample, one or more of the interior safety systems, one or more of theexterior safety systems, and one or more of the components of the drivesystem 232 (e.g., the steering system, the propulsion system, and/or thebraking system) via the vehicle controller 228. In some examples, thevehicle controller 228 may determine that the interior safety systemwill be activated based on some action of an object in the environment100, and the vehicle control data 230 may include information configuredto cause the vehicle controller 228 to activate one or more functions ofthe interior safety system, the exterior safety system, and the drivesystem 232.

As shown in FIG. 2, the example vehicle systems 202 also include anetwork interface 234 configured to provide a communication link betweenthe vehicle 102 and the remote vehicle control system 154. For example,the network interface 234 may be configured to allow data to beexchanged between the vehicle 102, other devices coupled to the network152, such as other computer systems, other vehicles 102 in the fleet ofvehicles, and/or with the remote vehicle control system 154. Forexample, the network interface 234 may enable wireless communicationbetween numerous vehicles and/or the remote vehicle control system 154.In various implementations, the network interface 234 may supportcommunication via a wireless general data networks, such as a Wi-Finetwork. For example, the network interface 234 may supportcommunication via telecommunications networks, such as, for example,cellular communication networks, satellite networks, and the like.Further, the vehicle controller 228 may provide, via the networkinterface 234, signals corresponding to and/or containing informationindicative of inputs received via the preferential travel input device148. The vehicle controller 228 may also provide information indicativeof one or more travel paths (e.g., the prioritized described herein)and/or one or more additional parameters included in a set of parametersvia the preferential travel output device 150. Such information may begenerated by the path calculator 214. Additionally or alternatively,such information may be received, by the network interface 234, from theremote vehicle control system 154 and via the network 152. In someexamples, the vehicle controller 228 may additionally, or alternatively,control a suspension system of the vehicle 102. For example, inmodifying operating parameters of the vehicle 102 based on a set ofmodified parameters received from the remote vehicle control system 154,the vehicle controller 228 may lower a suspension of the vehicle 102,increase a vehicle speed, stiffen a shock/strut response, and/orotherwise modify various vehicle component settings. As a result, theride experience of a passenger may be altered. For example, controllingthe vehicle 102 based on the received set of modified parameters maycause a passenger to experience enhanced accelerations in a lateral(e.g., sideways) direction, an axial direction (e.g., a directionsubstantially along the drive line 146), and/or a vertical direction(e.g., a direction substantially perpendicular to the road 106).

In various implementations, the parameter values and other dataillustrated herein may be included in one or more data stores, and maybe combined with other information not described or may be partitioneddifferently into more, fewer, or different data structures. In someimplementations, data stores may be physically located in one memory ormay be distributed among two or more memories.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the example architecture200 is merely illustrative and is not intended to limit the scope of thepresent disclosure. In particular, the computing system and devices mayinclude any combination of hardware or software that can perform theindicated functions, including computers, network devices, internetappliances, tablet computers, PDAs, wireless phones, pagers, etc. Thearchitecture 200 may also be connected to other devices that are notillustrated, or instead may operate as a stand-alone system. Inaddition, the functionality provided by the illustrated components mayin some implementations be combined in fewer components or distributedin additional components. Similarly, in some implementations, thefunctionality of some of the illustrated components may not be providedand/or other additional functionality may be available.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that, while various itemsare illustrated as being stored in memory or storage while being used,these items or portions of them may be transferred between memory andother storage devices for purposes of memory management and dataintegrity. Alternatively, in other implementations, some or all of thesoftware components may execute in memory on another device andcommunicate with the illustrated architecture 200. Some or all of thesystem components or data structures may also be stored (e.g., asinstructions or structured data) on a non-transitory,computer-accessible medium or a portable article to be read by anappropriate drive, various examples of which are described above. Insome implementations, instructions stored on a computer-accessiblemedium separate from the architecture 200 may be transmitted to thearchitecture 200 via transmission media or signals such as electrical,electromagnetic, or digital signals, conveyed via a communication mediumsuch as a wireless link. Various implementations may further includereceiving, sending, or storing instructions and/or data implemented inaccordance with the foregoing description on a computer-accessiblemedium. Accordingly, the techniques described herein may be practicedwith other control system configurations.

FIG. 3 shows an example architecture 300 including a vehicle fleet 302and an example remote vehicle control system 154. The example vehiclefleet 302 includes a plurality of vehicles 102, at least some which arecommunicatively coupled to the remote vehicle control system 154, forexample, via the respective network interfaces 234 of the vehicles 102,and a receiver 304 and a transmitter 306 associated with the remotevehicle control system 154. For example, a vehicle 102 may sendcommunication signals via the network interface 234, which are receivedby the receiver 304. In some examples, the communication signals mayinclude, for example, sensor data from sensor signals generated by oneor more sensors associated with the vehicle 102, and/or road networkdata from a road network data store. In some examples, the sensor datamay include raw sensor data or processed sensor data, and the roadnetwork data may include data related to a global or local map of anarea associated with operation of the vehicle 102. In any of theexamples described herein, such road network data may also include oneor more of lane widths, speed limits, or a road map. Such lane widths,speed limits, and road maps may correspond to the one or more roads 106of the road network 104 described herein. In some examples, thecommunication signals may include data associated with the currentstatus of the vehicle 102 and its systems, such as, for example, itscurrent position, current speed, current path, current occupancy, thelevel of charge of one or more of its batteries, and/or the operationalstatus of its sensors and drive systems. In some examples, thecommunication signals from the vehicle 102 may include a request forinformation from the remote vehicle control system 154. Suchinformation, may include, for example, assistance with operation of thevehicle 102 in the form of, for example, information about objects, theroad network 104, the road 106, the global map, the local map,collaboration with respect to vehicle operations and maneuvers, and/orconfirmation of information and/or actions proposed by the vehicle 102.In some examples, the communication signals from the vehicle 102 mayinclude a request for preferential travel associated with the vehicle102 and a particular destination 124 accessible via the road network104. A passenger of the vehicle 102 may enter such a request via thepreferential travel input device 148, and such a request may include atleast an address, coordinates, and/or other information indicating thelocation of the destination 124.

As shown in FIG. 3, the receiver 304 may be communicatively coupled tothe computing device 160, and in some examples, the operator 158 may beable access the sensor data, the road network data, and/or any otherdata in the communication signals received from a vehicle 102 using thecomputing device 160. In some examples, the operator 158 may be able toselectively access the sensor data, road network data, and/or other datavia the input device 164 and view the selected data via one or more ofthe displays 162 (see FIG. 1). In some examples, such road network datamay be stored in the object type data store 226 and/or in a road networkdata store operably connected to the vehicle controller 228. Such a roadnetwork data store may comprise a component of the vehicle system 202.In other examples, the road network data store may comprise a componentof the remote vehicle control system 154 and may be operably connectedto the computing device 160. In still further examples, a first portionof the road network data store may comprise a component of the remotevehicle control system 154, and a second portion of the road networkdata store may comprise a component of the vehicle system 202.

In the example shown, the remote vehicle control system 154 alsoincludes a network module 308 configured to provide communicationbetween two or more of the computing device 160 and the respectiveoperators 158, and/or communication with vehicle control data 310. Forexample, the remote vehicle control system 154 may include a pluralityof computing devices 160 and respective operators 158, and the operators158 may communicate with one another via the network module 308 tofacilitate and/or coordinate the various sets of parameters, pathinformation, and/or other guidance provided to the vehicles 102 of thevehicle fleet 302. In some examples, there may be an operator 158assigned to each of the vehicles 102, and in some examples, an operator158 may be assigned to more than a single vehicle 102 of the vehiclefleet 302. In some examples, operators 158 may not be assigned tospecific vehicles 102 of the vehicle fleet 302, but may instead providesets of parameters, drive lines, trajectories, path information, and/orother guidance to vehicles 102 based on, for example, a level of urgencyand/or a level of priority associated with the respective vehicles 102.In some examples, the various sets of parameters, path information,and/or other guidance provided to the vehicles 102 of the vehicle fleet302 by an operator 158 may be stored by the remote vehicle controlsystem 154, for example, in storage for the vehicle control data 310,and/or accessed by other operators 158. Further, it is understood thatin some examples, the remote vehicle control system 154 may be fullyautomated. In such examples, the operators 158 described herein may beomitted. Additionally, in other examples, any of the methods and/orfunctions described herein may be performed by one or more of the localvehicle controllers 228. In such examples, the remote vehicle controlsystem 154 may be omitted.

In some examples, the vehicle control data 310 may be accessible by theoperators 158, for example, via the computing device 160, for use ingenerating one or more sets of modified parameters, drive lines,trajectories, drive envelopes, path information, and/or other guidanceto the vehicles 102. For example, the vehicle control data 310 mayinclude global and/or local map data related to the road network 104,events associated with the road network 104, and/or travel conditionsassociated with the road network 104 due to, for example, trafficvolume, weather conditions, construction zones, and/or special events.In some examples, the vehicle control data 310 may include dataassociated with one more of the vehicles 102 of the vehicle fleet 302,such as, for example, maintenance and service information, and/oroperational history including, for example, event history associatedwith the vehicle 102, path histories, one or more sets of parametersgoverning operation of the vehicle 102, previously visited destinations124, occupancy histories, and other types of data associated with thevehicle 102. In any of the examples described herein, and as notedabove, one or more of the vehicles 102 may travel within a respectivedrive envelope 138 in accordance with a set of nominal operatingparameters during normal operation. The one or more sets of modifiedoperating parameters described herein may include, for example, analteration (e.g., a relaxation or reduction) of at least one of thenominal operating parameters governing the current/normal operation ofthe vehicle 102. In another example, such a set of modified parametersmay include at least one additional operating parameter not included inthe nominal operating parameters. In a further example, such a set ofmodified parameters may omit one or more of the nominal operatingparameters. In any such examples, upon receiving the set of modifiedparameters from the remote vehicle control system 154, the vehiclecontroller 228 may control operation of the vehicle 102 based at leastin part on the set of modified operating parameters.

FIGS. 4a-7b illustrate example schematic overhead views of an exampleroad network 104 including example vehicles 102 a-102 c (vehicles 102a-102 f are shown in

FIGS. 6a and 6b , and collectively, the vehicles shown in FIGS. 4a-7bmay be referred to herein as “vehicles 102”). In FIGS. 4a-7b , thevehicles 102 are shown en route between respective first geographiclocations and respective destinations at second geographic areas. Forexample, FIG. 4a illustrates a first vehicle 102 a traveling, in thefirst direction 132, in the first lane 110 a of the road 106 toward aparticular destination 124. One or more of the additional vehicles 102b, 102 c may also be traveling en route to the destination 124, oralternatively, one or more of the vehicles 102 b, 102 c may be travelingto a different respective destination (not shown). In such examples, oneor more of the vehicles 102 may travel within respective drive envelopesbetween respective first geographic locations 120 and respectivedestinations 124. It is understood that such drive envelopes may eachpresent unique driving circumstances for the respective vehicles 102.For example, such drive envelopes may cause the respective vehicles topass through or proximate an accident zone, a lane closure, mergingtraffic, a school zone, a crosswalk, a police officer directing traffic,a construction zone, or other areas requiring modifications to thespeed, and/or other operations of the vehicles 102. Additionally, insome situations, one or more of the vehicles 102 may receive an inputfrom one or more passengers of the vehicle 102 indicative of a requestfor preferential travel. In any of the above situations, the methods,systems, and/or other aspects of the present disclosure may be used todetermine one or more sets of modified parameters governing operation ofthe respective vehicles 102 once preferential travel has been requested.An example set of modified parameters may be different from the set ofnominal operating parameters currently governing operation of thevehicle 102, and may cause and/or require a requesting vehicle 102 totravel along a prioritized path to the destination 124 without beingslowed or otherwise hindered by the remaining vehicles 102 in the roadnetwork 104. In particular, example command signals including respectivesets of modified parameters may be provided to the vehicles 102. Uponreceiving such sets of modified parameters, the vehicle controllers 228of the respective vehicles 102 may cause and/or require the vehicles 102to travel within respective drive envelopes such that the requestingvehicle 102 is provided with a free lane (e.g., the first lane 110 a) orother portion of the road network 104 in order to reach the destination124 expeditiously. In such examples, the vehicle controller 228 of eachof the respective vehicles 102 may consume respective sets of modifiedparameters and/or other information included in such command signals,and the path calculator 214 of each of the respective vehicles maydetermine one or more trajectories, a drive line including each of theone or more trajectories, drive envelope including the drive line,and/or other items based at least partly on such command signals and/orsets of parameters. In some examples, such commands to the vehiclecontroller 228 may additionally, or alternatively, comprise an increasein speed with an accompanying change in vehicle suspension to providepassengers with a racecar-like experience. In some examples, such arequest may be made by a first responder (e.g. ambulance, fire truck,police, etc.) to create a free lane for optimizing travel time of thefirst responders.

FIG. 4a illustrates an example embodiment in which the vehicle 102 a istraveling along the road 106, in the first direction 132, toward aparticular destination 124. In such examples, a passenger of the vehicle102 a may provide an input via the preferential travel input device 148of the vehicle 102 a. For example, the passenger may provide such aninput by actuating, pressing, moving, touching, and/or otherwisecontacting the preferential travel input device 148. Additionally oralternatively, the passenger may provide an input by speaking, waiving,making one or more hand gestures, and/or through other non-contactmethods. Any such inputs may be indicative of a request for preferentialtravel between a current location of the vehicle 102 a and thedestination 124. As noted above, such a request may comprise a requestfor a prioritized path in which none of the additional vehicles in theroad network are disposed within or along a drive envelop and/ortrajectory of the requesting vehicle 102 as the requesting vehicle 102travels to the particular destination 124. In such examples, the vehicle102 a may be controlled to travel along a trajectory for a finite periodof time or for a finite distance. For example, such a drive envelopeand/or trajectory may comprise a drive segment, line, and/or route alongwhich the requesting vehicle 102 a may be controlled to travel forapproximately 10 seconds. Alternatively, such a drive envelope and/ortrajectory may comprise a drive segment, line, and/or route along whichthe requesting vehicle 102 a may be controlled to travel for the next500 feet. It is understood that the finite period of time and finitedistance noted above are merely examples and, in further embodiments,such finite periods of time and finite distances may be greater than orless than those noted above. For instance, in examples in which therequesting vehicle 102 a is traveling at a relatively high rate ofspeed, the finite period of time may be decreased and/or the finitedistance may be commensurately increased to account for such speeds.Likewise, in examples in which the requesting vehicle 102 a is travelingat a relatively low rate of speed, the finite period of time may beincreased and/or the finite distance may be commensurately decreased. Insuch examples, it may be permissible for such additional vehicles 102 b,102 c to be traveling in one or more lanes 110 (e.g., the first lane 110a) adjacent to the second lane 110 b in which the requesting vehicle 102a is traveling, as such locations would be outside of the trajectory ofthe requesting vehicle 102 a.

The vehicle controller 228 in communication with the preferential travelinput device 148 may generate a signal indicative of the request forpreferential travel, and the vehicle controller 228 may provide thesignal to the remote vehicle control system 154, via the network 152.The remote vehicle control system 154 may determine respective sets ofmodified parameters for the one or more vehicles 102 in the road network104 based at least partly on the request. In some examples, the sets ofmodified parameters may include respective drive envelopes,trajectories, drive lines, drive envelopes and/or parameters governingtravel of the respective vehicles 102 in the road network 104.Alternatively, the sets of parameters may provide information and orinstructions which, when consumed by a vehicle controller 228 may causethe path calculator 214 to generate and/or otherwise determine one ormore trajectories, a drive line, a drive envelope, and/or otherparameters governing travel of the corresponding vehicle. The remotevehicle control system 154 may also provide corresponding commandsignals to the respective vehicles 102, and the command signals may eachinclude one or more of the respective sets of parameters describedherein. In some examples, a set of parameters included in a commandsignal received by the requesting vehicle 102 a may cause the vehicle102 a to move from the first lane 110 a to the second lane 110 b in thedirection of arrow 400. In such examples, as will be described below,one or more drive envelopes defining a prioritized path to thedestination 124 may be at least partly defined by and/or may passsubstantially along the second lane 110 b. Additionally, the set ofparameters included in the command signal received by the requestingvehicle 102 a may cause the vehicle 102 a to accelerate and/ordecelerate in order to move in the direction of arrow 400 and/or totravel along such drive line. Such sets of parameters may also causemodification of a suspension setting, speed threshold, engine setting,turbo setting, brake setting, and/or other operating parameter of arespective vehicle 102. As a non-limiting example, the suspension may belowered during the initial acceleration into the prioritized trajectoryand/or along the drive line defined by arrow 400 such that the passengerrequesting the prioritization experiences modified vehicle settings thatcorrespond to the prioritization request and/or to preference of thepassenger.

FIG. 4b illustrates the example of FIG. 4a after the vehicles 102 a, 102b, 102 c have been caused to operate in accordance with the commandsignals described above. For example, upon receiving a first commandsignal from the remote vehicle control system 154 including a first setof parameters, the first vehicle 102 a may be caused to travel along aprioritized path 402 (e.g., a first path 402 extending from the vehicle102 a to the destination 124). The first path 402 may comprise the driveline 146 and/or a first drive envelope 138 that includes the drive line146, i.e. an ideal line for the vehicle 102 to follow. For example, thefirst path 402 may comprise a series of consecutive prioritizedtrajectories, and together, such trajectories may define the drive line146 within the drive envelope 138. In such examples, the vehicle 102 amay travel along the drive line 146, and the drive line 146 may extendapproximately centrally through the drive envelope 138 and/or the firstpath 402. Additionally, upon receiving respective second and thirdcommand signals from the remote vehicle control system 154 includingrespective second and third sets of parameters, the second vehicle 102 band the third vehicle 102 b may be caused to travel along respectivedrive lines maintaining the vehicles 102 b, 102 c outside of the driveenvelopes and/or one or more trajectories defining the drive line 146 ofthe requesting vehicle 102 a as the requesting vehicle 102 a travels tothe particular destination 124 along the prioritized path 402. Inparticular, upon receiving a second command signal from the remotevehicle control system 154, the second vehicle 102 b may be caused totravel within a second drive envelope 406 defined by and/or including acorresponding third drive line (not shown), and upon receiving a thirdcommand signal from the remote vehicle control system 154, the thirdvehicle 102 c may be caused to travel within a third drive envelope 408defined by and/or including a corresponding third drive line (notshown). Based on the sets of modified parameters included in such secondand third control signals, the respective vehicle controllers 228 of thesecond and third vehicles 102 b, 102 c may maintain the second and thirdvehicles 102 b, 102 c outside of the drive envelope(s) and/or one ormore trajectories defining the drive line 146 of the requesting vehicle102 a as the requesting vehicle 102 a travels to the particulardestination 124 along the prioritized path 402. The sets of parametersincluded in the command signals received by the second and thirdvehicles 102 b, 102 c may also cause at least one of the second andthird vehicles 102 b, 102 c to accelerate and/or decelerate in order totravel within the second and third drive envelopes 406, 408,respectively.

Additionally, in such examples the first set of parameters may be atleast partly less restrictive than the second and third sets ofparameters, thereby providing the first vehicle 102 a with expanded roadnetwork usage privileges relative to the remaining vehicles 102 in theroad network 104. For instance, in any of the examples described herein,the sets of parameters may include a speed threshold below which arespective one of the vehicles 102 may be permitted and, in somesituations, required to operate, a drive line 146 along which the one ofthe vehicles 102 may be permitted and, in some situations, required totravel, a drive envelope 138 and/or path along which or within which theone of the vehicles 102 may be permitted and, in some situations,required to travel, traffic rules (e.g., rules governing vehicleoperation with regard to stop signs, traffic lights, no passing zones,school zones, or other areas) with which the one of the vehicles 102must abide, engine, turbo, brake, suspension, and/or other vehiclecomponent settings, and/or other rules or limitations for operating theone of the vehicles 102. In such examples, the thresholds, driveenvelopes, traffic rules, vehicle component settings, and/or other rulesor limitations included in the first set of parameters may be at leastpartly less restrictive than the corresponding rules or limitationsincluded in the additional sets of parameters determined by the remotevehicle control system 154.

Although FIGS. 4a and 4b illustrate an example embodiment in which therequesting vehicle 102 a may be caused to move from a first lane 110 ato a second lane 110 b, in other examples various command signalsprovided by the remote vehicle control system 154 may include respectivesets of modified parameters that cause vehicles 102 other than therequesting vehicle 102 a to change lanes. For example, FIGS. 5a and 5billustrate an example embodiment in which the requesting vehicle 102 amay be controlled to remain in the first lane 110 a (e.g., the lane inwhich the requesting vehicle 102 a is currently traveling) and in whichone or more of the additional vehicles 102 traveling along the road 106may be caused to move from the lane in which the requesting vehicle 102a is currently traveling (e.g., the first lane 110 a) to the second lane110 b and/or any other lane different from the lane in which therequesting vehicle 102 a is currently traveling. In such examples, andas illustrated in FIG. 5a , the vehicle 102 a may be traveling in thefirst direction 132 toward a particular destination 124. During suchtravel, a passenger of the vehicle 102 a may provide an input via thepreferential travel input device 148 of the vehicle 102 a, and the inputmay be indicative of a request for prioritized travel between a currentlocation of the vehicle 102 a and the destination 124.

The vehicle controller 228 in communication with the preferential travelinput device 148 of the requesting vehicle 102 a may generate a signalindicative of the request for preferential travel, and the vehiclecontroller 228 may provide the signal to the remote vehicle controlsystem 154, via the network 152. The remote vehicle control system 154may determine respective sets of modified parameters for the one or morevehicles 102 in the road network 104 based at least partly on therequest. In some examples, the sets of modified parameters may includerespective trajectories, drive lines, drive envelopes, and/or otherparameters governing travel of the respective vehicles 102 in the roadnetwork 104. Alternatively, the sets of parameters may provideinformation and/or instructions which, when consumed by a vehiclecontroller 228 may cause the path calculator 214 to generate and/orotherwise determine one or more trajectories, a drive line, a driveenvelope, and/or other parameters governing travel of the correspondingvehicle. Such respective sets of parameters may also include any of theadditional settings, thresholds, rules, limitations, or other parametersdescribed herein. The remote vehicle control system 154 may also providecorresponding command signals to the respective vehicles 102, and thecommand signals may each include one or more of the respective sets ofparameters described herein.

In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 5a , a command signal received bythe requesting vehicle 102 a and including a first set of parameters maycause the vehicle 102 a to remain in its current lane (i.e., first lane110 a). In such examples, a prioritized path extending from therequesting vehicle 102 a to the destination 124 may be at least partlydefined by and/or may pass substantially along the first lane 110 a.Additionally, the command signals received by the remaining vehicles 102b, 102 c in the road network 104 and including respective second andthird sets of parameters, may cause one or more of the vehicles 102 b,102 c to move in the direction of arrow 500 from the first lane 110 a tothe second lane 110 b and/or any other lane different from the firstlane 110 a. In any such examples, one or more sets of parametersincluded in the command signals may cause a respective vehicle 102 toaccelerate and/or decelerate in order to change from the first lane 110a to the second lane 110 b, and/or to travel along a respectivetrajectory. Such sets of parameters may also cause modification of asuspension setting, speed threshold, engine setting, turbo setting,brake setting, and/or other operating parameter of a respective vehicle102, as described herein.

FIG. 5b illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 5a after the vehicles 102 a,102 b, 102 c have been caused to operate in accordance with the commandsignals described above. For example, upon receiving a first commandsignal from the remote vehicle control system 154 including a first setof parameters, the first vehicle 102 a may be caused to travel along aprioritized path 502 (e.g., a first path 502 extending from the vehicle102 a to the destination 124). The first path 502 may comprise the driveline 146 and/or a first drive envelope 138 that includes and/or isdefined by the drive line 146. In such examples, the vehicle 102 a maytravel along the drive line 146, and the drive line 146 may extendapproximately centrally through the drive envelope 138 and/or the firstpath 502. As illustrated in FIG. 5b , the first drive envelope 138 andthe respective drive line 146 may be substantially longer than those ofvehicles 102 b, 102 c (i.e. 506 and 508) despite corresponding to asubstantially similar receding horizon (e.g. 10 seconds). In such anexample, the longer drive envelope 138 / drive line 146 of vehicle 102 amay be indicative of a greater rate of travel (i.e. speed) than eithervehicle 102 b, 102 c. In the example shown in FIG. 5b , the commandsignal received from the remote vehicle control system 154 may cause thevehicle 102 a to remain in the first lane 110 a as the vehicle 102 atravels along at least part of the first path 502.

Additionally, upon receiving respective second and third command signalsfrom the remote vehicle control system 154 including respective secondand third sets of parameters, the second vehicle 102 b and the thirdvehicle 102 b may be caused to travel along respective drive linesmaintaining the vehicles 102 b, 102 c outside of the one or more driveenvelopes and/or trajectories defining the drive line 146 of therequesting vehicle 102 a as the requesting vehicle 102 a travels to thedestination 124 along the prioritized path 502. In particular, uponreceiving a second command signal from the remote vehicle control system154, the second vehicle 102 b may be caused to travel within a seconddrive envelope 506 defined by and/or including a corresponding seconddrive line (not show), and upon receiving a third command signal fromthe remote vehicle control system 154, the third vehicle 102 c may becaused to travel within a third drive envelope 508 defined by and/orincluding a corresponding third drive line (not show). Based on the setsof modified parameters included in such second and third controlsignals, the respective vehicle controllers 228 of the second and thirdvehicles 102 b, 102 c may maintain the second and third vehicles 102 b,102 c outside of the one or more drive envelopes and/or trajectoriesdefining the drive line 146 of the requesting vehicle 102 a as therequesting vehicle 102 a travels to the destination 124 along theprioritized path 502. The sets of parameters included in the respectivecommand signals received by the second and third vehicles 102 b, 102 cmay cause at least one of the second and third vehicles 102 b, 102 c toaccelerate and/or decelerate in order to travel within the second andthird drive envelopes 506, 508, respectively. For example, the set ofparameters included in the command signal received by the second vehicle102 b may cause the vehicle 102 b to accelerate in order to move in thedirection of arrow 500 and/or to change from the first lane 110 a to thesecond lane 110 b. Additionally or alternatively, the set of parametersincluded in the command signal received by the third vehicle 102 c maycause the third vehicle 102 c to decelerate in order to permit thesecond vehicle 102 b to pass in front of the third vehicle 102 c.Additionally, in such examples the first set of parameters may be atleast partly less restrictive than the second and third sets ofparameters, thereby providing the first vehicle 102 a with expanded roadnetwork usage privileges relative to the remaining vehicles 102 in theroad network 104.

In any of the examples described herein, the sets of parametersdetermined and/or provided by the remote vehicle control system 154 atleast partly in response to a request for preferential travel may bedetermined such that a minimum number of vehicles 102 are caused tochange lanes 110 when preferential travel is provided to the requestingvehicle 102 a. Such determinations may be made based on the relativespeeds, destinations, applicable traffic rules, and/or locations of theplurality of vehicles 102 in the road network 104 when the request forpreferential travel is received by the remote vehicle control system154. For example, relatively congested traffic patterns proximate therequesting vehicle 102 a may cause the remote vehicle control system 154to determine one or more sets of modified parameters that result in therequesting vehicle 102 a and at least one of the remaining vehicles 102in the road network 104 to change lanes. FIGS. 6a and 6b illustrate suchan example in the context of a road 106 having three lanes 110 (e.g., afirst lane 110 a, a second lane 110 b, and a third lanel 10 c) separatedby respective dividing lines 114 a, 114 b.

As shown in FIG. 6a , a first vehicle 102 a may be traveling in thefirst direction 132 toward a particular destination 124. During suchtravel, a passenger of the vehicle 102 a may provide an input via thepreferential travel input device 148 of the vehicle 102 a, and the inputmay be indicative of a request for preferential travel from a currentlocation of the vehicle 102 a to the destination 124. The vehiclecontroller 228 in communication with the preferential travel inputdevice 148 of the requesting vehicle 102 a may generate a signalindicative of the request for preferential travel, and the vehiclecontroller 228 may provide the signal to the remote vehicle controlsystem 154, via the network 152. The remote vehicle control system 154may determine respective sets of modified parameters for the one or morevehicles 102 in the road network 104 based at least partly on therequest. The remote vehicle control system 154 may also providecorresponding command signals to the respective vehicles 102, and thecommand signals may each include respective sets of modified parametersas described herein.

In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 6a , a first set of modifiedparameters included in a command signal received by the requestingvehicle 102 a may cause the vehicle 102 a to move, in the direction ofarrow 600, from its current lane (e.g., the third lane 110 c) to anadjacent lane (e.g., the second lane 110 b). Such movement may be theresult of relatively congested traffic ahead of the vehicle 102 a in thethird lane 110 c and/or by relatively less congested traffic ahead ofthe vehicle 102 a in the second lane 110 b and/or any other adjacentlane. For example, the presence of vehicles 102 f, 102 e ahead of thevehicle 102 a in the third lane 110 c, as well as the positions of thevehicles 102 f, 102 e relative to the vehicle 102 b, and the position ofvehicle 102 b relative to vehicles 102 c, 102 d, may cause the remotevehicle control system 154 to generate a first set of modifiedparameters. When such a first set of parameters is consumed by thevehicle controller 228 of the requesting vehicle 102 a, the first set ofparameters may cause the path calculator 214 to generate a prioritizedpath, extending from the requesting vehicle 102 a to the destination124, and resulting in the requesting vehicle 102 a moving from the thirdlane 110 c to the second lane 110 b. The remote vehicle control system154 may also determine additional sets of parameters for one or more ofthe vehicles 102 based at least in in part on the travel speeds of thevehicles 102 when the request from the vehicle 102 a is received. Forexample, since the requesting vehicle 102 a is positioned behindvehicles 102 f, 102 e, movement of the vehicle 102 a in the direction ofarrow 600, combined with movement of the vehicle 102 b in the directionor arrow 602, may result in the most expedient development of a lane(e.g., the second lane 110 b) in which the requesting vehicle 102 a mayhave a relatively clear path to the destination 124, particularly insituations in which for example, the nominal operating parameters of atleast one of the vehicles 102 e, 102 f cannot be modified. For example,since the vehicle 102 b is currently the only vehicle in the second lane110 b, and the vehicle 102 b is relatively behind vehicle 102 e butrelatively ahead of vehicle 102 c in the direction 132, the remotevehicle control system 154 and/or the path calculator 214 of at leastthe requesting vehicle 102 a may determine that movement of the vehicle102 a in the direction of arrow 600, combined with movement of thevehicle 102 b in the direction or arrow 602, may be the most efficientmanner in which to provide a prioritized path for the vehicle 102 a tothe destination 124. In such examples, maximizing efficiency may resultin the fewest number of vehicles 102 changing lanes 110, and may dependon, for example, the nominal operating parameters of the variousvehicles 102 and whether such parameters may be modified. Additionallyor alternatively, maximizing efficiency may result in the fastest travelpath for the requesting vehicle 102 a to the destination 124 (e.g., aprioritized path in which the fewest number of vehicles 102 are requiredto decelerate, the path in which the speed of the requesting vehicle 102a may be maximized, and/or the path in which the travel time for therequesting vehicle 102 a from its current location to the destination124 may be minimized). In any such examples, a set of parametersincluded in one or more of the command signals may cause a respectiveone of the vehicles 102 to accelerate and/or decelerate in order to movebetween lanes 110 and/or to travel along respective drive lines.

FIG. 6b illustrates the embodiment of FIG. 6a after the vehicles 102a-102 f have been caused to operate in accordance with the commandsignals described above. For example, upon receiving a first commandsignal from the remote vehicle control system 154 including a first setof parameters, the first vehicle 102 a may be caused to travel along aprioritized path 604 (e.g., a first path 604 extending from the vehicle102 a to the destination 124) . The first path 604 may comprise thedrive line 146 and/or a first drive envelope 138 that includes the driveline 146. For example, the first path 604 may comprise a series ofconsecutive prioritized trajectories, and together, such trajectoriesmay define the drive line 146 within the drive envelope 138. In suchexamples, the requesting vehicle 102 a may travel along the drive line146, and the drive line 146 may extend approximately centrally throughthe drive envelope 138 and/or the first path 604. In the example shownin FIG. 6b , the set of parameters included in the command signalreceived from the remote vehicle control system 154 may cause thevehicle 102 a to move from the third lane 110 c to the second lane 110b. In such examples, additional sets of parameters included inrespective command signals received by the remaining vehicles 102 in theroad network 104 may cause the remaining vehicles 102 to travel alongrespective drive lines maintaining the remaining vehicles 102 outside ofthe one or more drive envelopes and/or trajectories defining the driveline 146 as the requesting vehicle 102 a travels to the particulardestination 124 along the prioritized path 604.

For example, upon receiving a command signal from the remote vehiclecontrol system 154 including a second set of parameters, the secondvehicle 102 b may be caused to travel within a second drive envelope 608defined by and/or including a corresponding second drive line (notshown). In the example shown in FIG. 6b , the second set of parametersincluded in the command signal received from the remote vehicle controlsystem 154 may cause the vehicle 102 b to move from the second lane 110b to the first lane 110 a. Further, additional sets of parametersincluded in respective command signals from the remote vehicle controlsystem 154 may cause the remaining vehicles 102 to travel withinrespective drive envelopes maintaining the remaining vehicles 102outside of the one or more drive envelopes and/or trajectories definingthe drive line 146 as the requesting vehicle 102 a travels to theparticular destination 124 along the prioritized path 604. Inparticular, upon receiving a third command signal from the remotevehicle control system 154 including a third set of parameters, thethird vehicle 102 c may be caused to travel within a third driveenvelope 610 defined by and/or including a corresponding third driveline (not shown). The sets of parameters included in respective commandsignals received by the additional vehicles 102 in the road network 104may also be consumed by the vehicle controllers 228 of such vehicles102, and may maintain such remaining vehicles 102 outside of the one ormore trajectories defining the drive line 146 as the requesting vehicle102 a travels to the particular destination 124 along the prioritizedpath 604. The sets of parameters included in the respective commandsignals received by the remaining vehicles 102 may also cause at leastone of the remaining vehicles 102 to accelerate and/or decelerate inorder to travel within the respective drive envelopes described herein.For example, the set of parameters included in the command signalreceived by the second vehicle 102 b may cause the second vehicle 102 bto accelerate in order to move in the direction of arrow 602 and/or tochange from the second lane 110 b to the first lane 110 a. Additionallyor alternatively, the set of parameters included in the command signalreceived by the third vehicle 102 c may cause the third vehicle 102 c todecelerate in order to permit the second vehicle 102 b to pass in frontof the third vehicle 102 c. In such examples, the first set ofparameters may be at least partially less restrictive than the secondand third sets of parameters, thereby providing expanded road networkusage privileges to the requesting vehicle 102 a.

Although FIGS. 4a-6b illustrate example embodiments in which typicaltraffic rules (e.g., rules governing vehicle operation with regard tostop signs, traffic lights, no passing zones, school zones, constructionzones, lane designations, speed limits, etc.) are substantially obeyedby the vehicles 102 in the road network 104 once a request forpreferential travel is received. In additional embodiments, on the otherhand, providing a requesting vehicle 102 a with preferential travel mayinclude permitting the requesting vehicle 102 a to at least temporarilybreak one or more traffic rules in order to travel along a prioritizedpath to the particular destination 124. For example, FIGS. 7a and 7billustrate an embodiment in which the requesting vehicle 102 a may becontrolled to travel along a prioritized path that is at least partlydefined by a drive envelope having an enlarged drive envelope widthrelative to drive envelope widths corresponding to the remainingvehicles 102 in the road network. In such examples, the drive envelopeof the requesting vehicle 102 a may also straddle at least two lanes 110a, 110 b of the road 106. Further, in traveling to the destination 124,the requesting vehicle 102 a may be permitted to exceed an applicablespeed limit associated with the road 106, may be permitted to ignoredouble yellow lines, may be permitted to travel abnormally close to anadjacent vehicle (e.g., travel at a distance of one foot or less from anadjacent vehicle), and/or may be configured to modify (e.g., enhance)vision, perception, or other systems of the vehicle 102.

As illustrated in FIG. 7a , the first vehicle 102 a may be traveling inthe first direction 132 toward a particular destination 124. The firstvehicle 102 a may be traveling, for example, along a first path 702extending from the first vehicle 102 a to the destination. In suchexamples, the first path 702 may be at least partly defined by a firstdrive envelope 138 a having a first drive envelope width 142 a.Additionally, the road network 104 may include a second vehicle 102 btraveling along a second path 704 that is at least partly defined by asecond drive envelope 138 b having a second drive envelope width 142 b.The road network 104 may further include a third vehicle 102 c travelingalong a third path 706 that is at least partly defined by a third driveenvelope 138 c having a third drive envelope width 142 c. In the exampleembodiment of FIG. 7a , the first, second, and third drive envelopewidths 142 a, 142 b, 142 c may be substantially equal. Additionally, atleast one of the first, second, and third drive envelope widths 142 a,142 b, 142 c may be less than or equal to a width of a correspondinglane 110 a, 110 b within which the respective drive envelope 138 a, 138b, 138 c is disposed. In such examples, the first drive envelope 138 a,the second drive envelope 138 b, and the third drive envelope 138 c mayeach be disposed within either the first lane 110 a or the second lane110 b.

In such examples, a passenger of the first vehicle 102 a may provide aninput via the preferential travel input device 148 of the first vehicle102 a, and the input may be indicative of a request for preferentialtravel between a current location of the first vehicle 102 a and thedestination 124. The vehicle controller 228 in communication with thepreferential travel input device 148 of the first vehicle 102 a maygenerate a signal indicative of the request for preferential travel, andthe vehicle controller 228 may provide the signal to the remote vehiclecontrol system 154 via the network 152. The remote vehicle controlsystem 154 may determine respective sets of modified parameters for theone or more vehicles 102 in the road network 104 based at least partlyon the request. The remote vehicle control system 154 may also providecorresponding command signals to the respective vehicles 102, and thecommand signals may each include one or more of the respective sets ofmodified parameters described herein.

In the embodiment illustrated by FIG. 7b , a command signal received bythe requesting vehicle 102 a and including a first set of modifiedparameters may cause the requesting vehicle 102 a to travel along aprioritized path 708 extending from the vehicle 102 a to the destination124. In such examples, the prioritized path 708 may include a respectivedrive line comprising one or more consecutive prioritized trajectories(not shown), and may be defined, at least in part, by a fourth driveenvelope 138 d having a fourth drive envelope width 142 d greater thanthe first drive envelope width 142 a. As shown in FIG. 7b , the fourthdrive envelope 138 d and/or the prioritized path 708 may span at leastpart of both the first lane 110 a and the second lane 110 b. Therequesting vehicle 102 a may be permitted to travel within such awidened prioritized path 708 and/or fourth drive envelope 138 d despiteapplicable traffic rules requiring vehicles 102 to travel in a singlelane 110 a, 110 b unless passing another vehicle 102.

In such examples, the command signal received by the requesting vehicle102 a and including such a first set of parameters may also cause therequesting vehicle 102 a to travel at a speed less than or equal to anincreased speed threshold. In such examples, the increased speedthreshold may be included in the command signal and may, in someinstances, be greater than the speed limit associated with the road 106.In such examples, the command signal received by the requesting vehicle102 a and including such a first set of parameters may further include amodified suspension setting, engine setting, brake pressure setting,turbo setting, and/or other operational parameter. Such modifiedsettings may cause the requesting vehicle 102 a to operate based atleast in part on settings and/or operating preferences corresponding tothe request and/or corresponding to the personal preferences of one ormore passengers of the requesting vehicle 102 a.

Additionally, the command signals received by the remaining vehicles 102b, 102 c in the road network 104 and including respective second andthird sets of parameters, may cause one or more of the vehicles 102 b,102 c to move closer to the lane boundary lines 116 a, 116 b and/orshoulders corresponding to the lanes 110 a, 110 b within which thevehicles 102 b, 102 c are traveling. The command signals received by theremaining vehicles 102 b, 102 c in the road network 104 and includingrespective second and third sets of parameters, may also cause one ormore of the vehicles 102 b, 102 c to travel within respective driveenvelopes having reduced width. For example, a second set of parametersincluded in the command signal received by the second vehicle 102 b maycause the second vehicle 102 b to travel in a fifth path 710 that isdefined, at least in part, by a fifth drive envelope 138 e having afifth drive envelope width 142 e less than the second drive envelopewidth 142 b. Additionally, a third set of parameters included in thecommand signal received by the third vehicle 102 c may cause the thirdvehicle 102 c to travel in a sixth path 712 that is defined, at least inpart, by a sixth drive envelope 138 f having a sixth drive envelopewidth 142 f less than the third drive envelope width 142 c. As shown inFIG. 7b , the fifth and sixth drive envelopes 138 e, 138 f may span onlya portion of the respective lane 110 a, 110 b within which the secondand third vehicles 102 b, 102 c are traveling. Further, the fifth andsixth drive envelope widths 142 e, 142 f may be less than the fourthdrive envelope width 142 d. In this way, the requesting vehicle 102 amay be granted enhanced road network usage privileges at least partly inresponse to a request for preferential travel.

In some examples, the vehicles 102 illustrated in FIGS. 4a-7b may bedriverless non-emergency passenger vehicles. In other examples, on theother hand, at least the requesting vehicle 102 a illustrated in FIGS.4a-7b may comprise emergency response vehicles (e.g., ambulances, firetrucks, police cars, military vehicles, etc.), whether driverless ornot. In any such example described herein, additional command signalsmay be sent to one or more traffic lights or other traffic controldevices along the prioritized path. For example, such additional commandsignals may change all traffic lights to “green” along the prioritizedpath such that the requesting vehicle 102 a may not have to stop at“red” traffic lights in emergency situations. Such situations mayinclude, for example, situations in which a health emergency (e.g., astroke, a heart attack, etc.) occurs within the requesting vehicle 102a. In still further examples, any of the systems or methods describedherein may also be employed by standard (e.g., non-driverless) vehicles.For example, a standard ambulance, fire truck, police car, or othernon-driverless emergency vehicle, or a control system associatedtherewith, may provide a signal to one or more of the vehicles 102 thatan emergency situation has occurred. In response, one or more of thevehicles 102 may be controlled to clear a path (e.g., a prioritizedpath) for one or more non-driverless emergency vehicles. In any of theexamples described herein, one or more of the vehicles 102 may mimic anambulance, fire truck, police car, or other emergency response vehiclein one or more ways. For example, upon receiving a command signal fromthe remote vehicle control system 154, the vehicle controller 228 of therequesting vehicle 102 may cause one or more lights, sirens, horns,and/or other output components of the vehicle 102 to activate. In suchexamples, one or more lights, light bars, or other visual output devicesof the vehicle 102 may be caused to flash as the vehicle 102 iscontrolled to traverse a prioritized path in the road network 104.Additionally or alternatively, in such examples, one or more horns,sirens, speakers, or other audio output devices of the vehicle 102 maybe caused to emit an audible tone as the vehicle 102 is controlled totraverse a prioritized path. In this way, such output may cause and/orenable other vehicles 102 in the road network 104 to move from or exitthe drive envelope of the requesting vehicle 102 emitting such outputwithout the other vehicles receiving a command signal causing suchmovement.

As noted above, in any of the examples described herein the sets ofparameters included in the various command signals provided by theremote vehicle control system 154 may include instructions that causethe vehicle controllers 228 of the respective vehicles 102 to modify oneor more performance parameters of the respective vehicles 102 (e.g.,speed, acceleration, suspension settings, brake pressure settings,braking rates, engine settings, turbo settings, steering input rates,etc.) and/or operation parameters of the respective vehicles 102 (e.g.,safety-related guidelines for controlling the vehicle). Additionally,although not specifically illustrated in FIGS. 4a-7b , one or moreconditions or events associated with the road network 104 may modify thetravel paths, trajectories, drive lines, drive envelopes, and/or otherparameters described herein. Such conditions or events may includeaccidents, school, and construction zones, flood zones, parade zones,special event zones, and/or zones associated with slow traffic, such asareas where vehicles are being driven into bright sunlight or areaswhere weather conditions such as rain or snow are affecting trafficrates.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example process illustrated as acollection of blocks in a logical flow graph. The various blocks shownin FIG. 8 represent a sequence of operations that can be implemented inhardware, software, or a combination thereof In the context of software,the blocks represent computer-executable instructions stored on one ormore computer-readable storage media that, when executed by one or moreprocessors, perform the recited operations. Generally,computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, and the like that perform particularfunctions or implement particular abstract data types. The order inwhich the operations are described is not intended to be construed as alimitation, and any number of the described blocks can be combined inany order and/or in parallel to implement the processes.

In particular, FIG. 8 is a flow diagram of an example method 800 foroperating one or more vehicles (e.g., one or more driverless vehicles).At 802, the example method 800 may include receiving, at the computingdevice 160 and/or other components of the remote vehicle control system154, sensor signals including sensor data 206 from one or more sensors204 associated with a plurality of vehicles 102 (e.g., a plurality ofdriverless vehicles). In some examples, the sensor data 206 may berelated to operation of the respective vehicles 102 to which the sensors204 are connected. For example, the sensor data 206 may include sensorsignals associated with the environment 100 through which the vehicles102 are traveling. In some examples, the sensor data 206 may includesensor signals indicative of a respective location, speed, and/or otheroperational parameter of each vehicle 102 traversing the road network104. It is understood that each vehicle 102 may have one or more sensors204 connected thereto, and in such examples, the sensor signals receivedat 802 may comprise respective signals generated by the sensors 204connected to the various individual vehicles 102 in the road network104. Further, each vehicle 102 of the plurality of vehicles may have anumber, alpha-numeric code, and/or other identifier assigned thereto anduniquely identifying the vehicle 102. In such examples, the sensorsignals received at 802 may also include the unique identifiercorresponding to the vehicle 102 to which the one or more sensors 204generating the signal is/are connected.

At 804, the example method 800 may include receiving, at the computingdevice 160 and/or other components of the remote vehicle control system154, a request from one or more of the vehicles 102, and such a requestmay comprise a request for preferential travel from a current locationof the requesting vehicle 102 to a particular destination 124. Forexample, while traversing the road 106, a passenger of a first vehicle102 a may provide an input via the preferential travel input device 148of the vehicle 102 a. For example, the passenger may provide such aninput by actuating, pressing, moving, touching, and/or otherwisecontacting the preferential travel input device 148. Additionally oralternatively, the passenger may provide an input by speaking, waiving,making one or more hand gestures, and/or through other non-contactmethods. Any such inputs may be indicative of a request for preferentialtravel within the road network 104 between the current location of therequesting vehicle 102 a and the destination 124, and the request may begenerated by the preferential travel input device 148, the vehiclecontroller 228, and/or one or more other components of the vehiclesystem 202 at least partly in response to the input received from thepassenger. Additionally, in some examples the request may include theunique identifier corresponding to the vehicle 102 a from which therequest is received (e.g., the requesting vehicle 102 a).

At 806, the example method 800 may include accessing, with the computingdevice 160 and/or other components of the remote vehicle control system154, road network data stored in, for example, a road network datastore. The road network data may be based at least in part on a locationof the vehicle 102 a. In some examples, this may include global and/orlocal map data that may be stored and/or updated by the vehicle 102 aand/or by the remote control center 156. Such road network data mayinclude, among other things, data related to a global or local map of atleast a portion of the road network 104 at which the vehicle 102 a islocated. The road network data may include, for example, one or moremaps illustrating the various roads 106 that may be available for thevehicle 102 a to reach the destination 124 from the current location ofthe requesting vehicle 102 a.

At 808, the example method 800 may include determining, at the computingdevice 160 and/or other components of the remote vehicle control system154, a set of modified parameters for operating the requesting vehicle102 a as the requesting vehicle 102 a travels within the road network104 to the destination 124. For example, under normal operatingconditions (e.g., non-preferential travel conditions), each of thevehicles 102 may be controlled by the respective vehicle controllers 228to operate according to nominal operating parameters governing movementof the respective vehicles 102 within the road network 104. In someembodiments, the requesting vehicle 102 a may be permitted and, in somesituations, required to operate, within the road network 104, inaccordance with a first set of nominal operating parameters, while asecond vehicle 102 b may be permitted and, in some situations, requiredto operate, within the road network 104, in accordance with a second setof nominal operating parameters. In some examples (e.g., in normaloperating conditions), the first set of nominal operating parameters maybe the same as the second set of nominal operating parameters, while inother examples the first set of nominal operating parameters may bedifferent from the second set of nominal operating parameters. In any ofthe embodiments described herein, such sets of nominal operatingparameters may include a speed threshold below which a respective one ofthe vehicles 102 may be permitted and, in some situations, required tooperate, a drive line 146 along which the one of the vehicles 102 may bepermitted and, in some situations, required to travel, a drive envelope138 along which or within which the one of the vehicles 102 may bepermitted and, in some situations, required to travel, traffic ruleswith which the one of the vehicles 102 must abide, and/or other rules orlimitations for operating the one of the vehicles 102. In some examples,the first and second sets of nominal operating parameters may begenerated and/or otherwise determined by the remote vehicle system 154,and may be provided to the respective vehicles 102 a, 102 b foroperation thereof within the road network 104.

Accordingly, in examples in which the first vehicle 102 a is operatingin accordance with the first set of nominal operating parametersdescribed above and in which the second vehicle 102 b is operating inaccordance with the second set of nominal operating parameters, at 808the remote vehicle control system 154 may determine a third set ofparameters (e.g., a set of one or more modified parameters) foroperating the first vehicle 102 a. The remote vehicle control system 154may determine such a third set of parameters based at least partly onthe request received at 804 and on the sensor data included in thesensor signals received at 802. Additionally, the third set ofparameters determined at 808 may be at least partly less restrictivethan the first set of nominal operating parameters governing normaloperation of the first vehicle 102 a. For example, where the first setof nominal operating parameters may define and/or otherwise include afirst speed threshold below which the first vehicle 102 a is permittedand/or required to operate, the third set of modified parametersdetermined at 808 may include a second speed threshold greater than thefirst speed threshold, thereby enabling the first vehicle 102 a totravel at a higher speed. As another example, where the first set ofnominal operating parameters may define and/or otherwise include a firststrut setting, suspension setting, brake pressure setting, turbosetting, engine tuning configuration, and/or other vehicle parameterassociated with normal and/or non-preferential travel, the third set ofmodified parameters may define and/or otherwise include a second strutsetting, suspension setting, brake pressure setting, turbo setting,engine tuning configuration, and/or other vehicle parameter settingcausing the first vehicle 102 a to operate in a modified drive mode(e.g., a preferential travel mode, an emergency mode, etc.). In such amodified drive mode, the first vehicle 102 a may be caused to operate inaccordance with preferences or other settings of one or more passengersriding in the first vehicle 102 a. For example, the first suspensionsetting of the first set of nominal operating parameters may cause astrut or other suspension component of the first vehicle 102 a tooperate with a first level of sensitivity, and the second suspensionsetting of the third set of modified parameters may cause such asuspension component of the first vehicle 102 a to operate with a secondlevel of sensitivity greater than the first level of sensitivity.

As a further example, and as illustrated in at least FIGS. 7a and 7b ,where the first set of nominal operating parameters may be consumed bythe path calculator 214 of the first vehicle 102 a to define and/orotherwise determine a first drive envelope 138 a (having a first driveenvelope width 142 a) along which or within which the first vehicle 102a is permitted and/or required to travel, the third set of modifiedparameters determined at 808 may be consumed by the path calculator 214of the first vehicle 102 a to define and/or otherwise determine a fourthdrive envelope 138 d (having a fourth drive envelope width 142 d) and/ora prioritized path 708 along which or within which the first vehicle 102a is permitted and/or required to travel. In such examples, the fourthdrive envelope width 142 d may be greater than the first drive envelopewidth 142 a, thereby expanding the area of the road 106 within which thefirst vehicle 102 a may travel in order to reach the destination 124.

As noted above, the path calculator 214 of the first vehicle 102 a maydetermine the fourth drive envelope 138 d and/or the prioritized path708 based at least partly on the set of parameters determined at 808.Alternatively, in some examples, at 808 the computing device 160 and/orother components of the remote vehicle control system 154 may determinea prioritized path 708 extending from the first vehicle 102 a to thedestination 124 based at least partly on the request received at 804 andon the road network data received at 806. In any of the examplesdescribed herein, the first vehicle 102 a may be caused to travel alongthe prioritized path 708, and the prioritized path 708 may be defined,at least in part, by the fourth drive envelope 138 d described above mayinclude and/or define such a prioritized path 70.

At 810, the example method 800 may include determining, at the computingdevice 160 and/or other components of the remote vehicle control system154, one or more additional sets of modified parameters governing theoperation of various remaining vehicles traversing the road network 104.For example, as noted above the second vehicle 102 b may be caused tooperate in accordance with a second set of nominal operating parameters.In such examples, at 810 the remote vehicle control system 154 maydetermine a fourth set of modified parameters for operating the secondvehicle 102 b. The remote vehicle control system 154 may determine thefourth set of parameters based at least partly on the request receivedat 804 and on the sensor data included in the sensor signals received at802. Additionally, the fourth set of parameters determined at 810 may beat least partly more restrictive than the second set of parametersgoverning operation of the second vehicle 102 b.

For example, where the second set of nominal operating parameters maydefine and/or otherwise include a third speed threshold below which thesecond vehicle 102 b is permitted and/or required to operate, the fourthset of modified parameters determined at 810 may include a fourth speedthreshold less than the third speed threshold, thereby requiring thesecond vehicle 102 b to travel at a lower speed. As another example,where the second set of nominal operating parameters may define and/orotherwise include a third strut setting, suspension setting, brakepressure setting, turbo setting, engine tuning configuration, and/orother vehicle parameter, the fourth set of modified parametersdetermined at 810 may define and/or otherwise include a fourth strutsetting, suspension setting, brake pressure setting, turbo setting,engine tuning configuration, and/or other vehicle parameter settingcausing the second vehicle 102 b to operate in a relatively more relaxedor refined drive mode. For example, the third suspension setting of thesecond set of nominal operating parameters may cause a strut or othersuspension component of the second vehicle 102 b to operate with a thirdlevel of sensitivity, and the fourth suspension setting of the fourthset of modified parameters determined at 810 may cause such a suspensioncomponent of the second vehicle 102 b to operate with a fourth level ofsensitivity less than the third level of sensitivity.

As a further example, and as illustrated in at least FIGS. 7a and 7b ,where the second set of nominal operating parameters may be consumed bythe path calculator 214 of the second vehicle 102 b to generate and/orotherwise determine a second drive envelope 138 b (having a second driveenvelope width 142 b) along which or within which the second vehicle 102b is permitted and/or required to travel, the fourth set of modifiedparameters determined at 810 may be consumed by the path calculator 214of the second vehicle 102 b to generate and/or otherwise determine afifth drive envelope 138 e (having a fifth drive envelope width 142 e)along which or within which the second vehicle 102 b is permitted and/orrequired to travel. In such examples, the fifth drive envelope width 142e may be less than the second drive envelope width 142 b, therebyreducing the area of the road 106 within which the second vehicle 102 bmay travel. In any of the examples described herein, the fourth set ofparameters determined at 810 governing operation of the second vehicle102 b may also be at least partly more restrictive than the third set ofparameters determined at 808 governing preferential travel of the firstvehicle 102 a.

As noted above, the path calculator 214 of the second vehicle 102 b maydetermine the fifth drive envelope 138 e based at least partly on theset of parameters determined at 810. Alternatively, in some examples,the computing device 160 and/or other components of the remote vehiclecontrol system 154 may determine one or more additional drive envelopesbased at least partly on the request received at 804 and/or based atleast partly on the road network data accessed at 806. Example first,second, and third drive envelopes 138, 406, 408 are described above withrespect to FIGS. 4a and 4b . Additionally, example first second, andthird drive envelopes 138, 506, 508 are described above with respect toFIGS. 5a and 5b , and various drive envelopes are also described abovewith respect to FIGS. 6a, 6b, 7a, and 7b . In any of the examplesdescribed herein, a second and/or additional drive envelope determinedat 810 may maintain a corresponding second vehicle 102 b and/or anadditional one of the vehicles 102 outside of one or more trajectories(determined at 808) defining the drive line 146 of the requestingvehicle 102 a as the requesting vehicle 102 a travels to the particulardestination 124 along a prioritized path.

At 812, the example method 800 may include providing, with the computingdevice 160 and/or other components of the remote vehicle control system154, a first command signal to at least the requesting vehicle 102 a.For example, at 812 the computing device 160 may generate a firstcommand signal including the set of modified parameters determined at808. As noted above, such a set of parameters may include informationindicative of one or more trajectories, a drive line, a prioritizedpath, one or more drive envelopes, a speed threshold, a suspensionsetting, and/or other rules or vehicles operating parameters. At 812,the computing device 160 may transfer, send, and/or otherwise providethe first command signal to the requesting vehicle 102 a via the network152 and using, for example, the transmitter 306. Additionally, thenetwork interface 234 of the first vehicle 102 a may receive the firstcommand signal at 812, and the first command signal may cause the firstvehicle 102 a to operate in accordance with the set of modifiedparameters determined at 808. For example, the vehicle controller 228may consume and/or otherwise process the first command signal receivedat 812, and the path calculator 214 of the requesting vehicle 102 a maygenerate and/or otherwise determine a drive envelope defining, at leastin part, a prioritized path extending from the requesting vehicle 102 ato the destination 124 based at least in part on the set of modifiedparameters included in the first command signal. The vehicle controller228 of the requesting vehicle 102 a may also cause the requestingvehicle 102 a to travel along and/or within the drive envelope whentraveling along the prioritized path. In traveling within the driveenvelope, the vehicle controller 228 may, in some examples, cause therequesting vehicle 102 a to move from a first lane 110 a to a secondlane 110 b, or vice versa. The vehicle controller 228 may also cause therequesting vehicle 102 a to make one or more turns, accelerate,decelerate, and/or perform one or more additional vehicle maneuvers incausing the requesting vehicle 102 a to travel within the drive envelopeand/or along the prioritized path at 812. Additionally or alternatively,causing the first vehicle 102 a to operate in accordance with the set ofmodified parameters included in the first command signal may cause thefirst vehicle 102 a to accelerate from a first speed to a second speedgreater than a first speed. The first command signal provided at 812 mayalso cause a suspension component of the first vehicle 102 a to operatewith an increased level of sensitivity. Further, the first commandsignal provided at 812 may cause the first vehicle 102 a to travelwithin an expanded drive envelope and/or to operate within an increasedspeed threshold.

At 814, the example method 800 may include providing, with the computingdevice 160 and/or other components of the remote vehicle control system154, a second command signal to a second vehicle 102 b and/or to atleast one of the remaining vehicles 102 traversing the road network 104.For example, at 814 the computing device 160 may generate a secondcommand signal including the set of modified parameters determined at810. Such a set of parameters may include information indicative of apath, drive envelope, speed threshold, suspension setting, and/or otherrules or vehicle operating parameters. In some examples, the secondcommand signal may also include information indicative of the one ormore trajectories, drive line, drive envelope, prioritized path, and/orother modified parameters determined at 808. In still further examples,the second command signal may also include additional information suchas, for example, the unique identifier associated with the requestingvehicle 102 a, unique identifiers associated with one or more of theremaining vehicles 102 traversing the road network 104, weatherconditions, road conditions, traffic conditions, and/or other parametersassociated with the road network 104. At 814, the computing device 160may transfer, send, and/or otherwise provide the second command signalto at least the second vehicle 102 b via the network 152 and using, forexample, the transmitter 306. In some examples, at 814 the computingdevice 160 may also transfer, send, and/or otherwise provide the secondcommand signal to the requesting vehicle 102 a via the network 152.

At 814, the vehicle controller 228 of, for example, the second vehicle102 b may receive the second command signal, and the second commandsignal may cause the second vehicle 102 b to operate in accordance withthe set of modified parameters determined at 810. For example, thevehicle controller 228 of the second vehicle 102 b may consume and/orotherwise process the second command signal received at 814, and thepath calculator 214 of the second vehicle 102 b may generate and/orotherwise determine a drive envelope 406 (FIG. 4b ) based at leastpartly on the set of modified parameters included in the second commandsignal. The vehicle controller 228 of the second vehicle 102 b may causethe second vehicle 102 b to travel within the drive envelope 406. Intraveling within the drive envelope 406, the vehicle controller 228 ofthe second vehicle 102 b may, in some examples, cause the second vehicle102 b to move from a first lane 110 a to a second lane 110 b, or viceversa. The vehicle controller 228 of the second vehicle 102 b may alsocause the second vehicle 102 b to make one or more turns, accelerate,decelerate, and/or perform one or more additional vehicle maneuvers incausing the second vehicle 102 b to travel within the drive envelope. Inparticular, the vehicle controller 228 of the second vehicle 102 b maycontrol the second vehicle 102 b to remain outside of one or more driveenvelopes and/or trajectories (determined at 808) defining the driveline 146 of the requesting vehicle 102 a as the requesting vehicle 102 atravels to the particular destination 124 along a prioritized path.Additionally or alternatively, causing the second vehicle 102 b tooperate in accordance with the set of modified parameters included inthe second command signal may cause the second vehicle 102 b todecelerate from a first speed to a second speed less than the firstspeed. Further, the second command signal provided at 814 may cause thesecond vehicle 102 b to travel within narrowed and/or otherwise reduceddrive envelope and/or to operate within a reduced speed threshold.

At 814, the method 800 may also include providing at least some of theinformation included in the various command signals via the preferentialtravel output device 150 of the respective vehicles 102. For example,the vehicle controller 228 of the second vehicle 102 b may consumeand/or otherwise process the second command signal received at 814, andthe vehicle controller 228 of the second vehicle 102 b may cause thedisplay and/or other components of the preferential travel output device150 to display at least part of the prioritized path (e.g., theprioritized path 604 illustrated in FIG. 6b ), the drive envelope (e.g.,the fourth drive envelope 138 d illustrated in FIG. 7b ), the drive line(e.g., the drive line 146 illustrated in FIG. 5b ), one or morecorresponding trajectories, and/or other parameters or sets ofparameters. In such examples, the prioritized path 604 and/or the fourthdrive envelope 138 d may be displayed on and/or with a map or other likeillustration of the road 106. In such examples, at least part of theroad network 104, the destination 124, and/or other portions of theenvironment 100 may also be displayed via the preferential travel outputdevice 150. Additionally or alternatively, at least one of therequesting vehicle 102 a, the second vehicle 102 b, the one or moreremaining vehicles 102 traversing the road network 104, an additionaldrive envelope (e.g., the drive envelope 710 illustrated in FIG. 7b ),the unique identifier and/or other information identifying at least oneof the vehicles 102 (e.g., the requesting vehicle 102 a), and/or one ormore of the modified parameters determined at 808 or 810 may also bedisplayed and/or otherwise provided. It is understood that suchinformation provided by the preferential travel output device 150 may beupdated in substantially real time and, the preferential travel outputdevices 150 in each of the respective vehicles 102 may provide similarand/or the same information.

In any of the examples described herein, the first, second, and/orcorresponding additional command signals of the present disclosure maymaintain the second vehicle 102 b and/or any of the additional vehicles102 traversing the road network 104 outside of one or more driveenvelopes and/or trajectories of the requesting vehicle 102 a as therequesting vehicle is traveling along a prioritized path to thedestination 124. As noted above, such trajectories may define a driveline 146 of the requesting vehicle 102 a, and the drive line 146 may beincluded in and/or may otherwise define a drive envelope 138 of therequesting vehicle 102 a. Such a drive envelope 138 may be included inand/or may define at least part of the prioritized path. In this way,the methods and systems of the present disclosure may be used to providea requesting vehicle 102 a with a prioritized path that extends from therequesting vehicle 102 a to the destination 124. As a result, themethods and systems of the present disclosure may enable passengers ofvehicles (e.g., passengers of driverless vehicles) to travel to such adestination in an expedited manner in case of emergencies and/or othertime-sensitive situations, and such methods and systems may improvepassenger satisfaction. Such methods and systems may also result inreduced congestion or traffic in the road network 104 and may, thus,result in more efficient usage of the roads 106, lanes 110, and/or otherportions of the road network 104.

It should be appreciated that the subject matter presented herein may beimplemented as a computer process, a computer-controlled apparatus, acomputing system, or an article of manufacture, such as acomputer-readable storage medium. While the subject matter describedherein is presented in the general context of program modules thatexecute on one or more computing devices, those skilled in the art willrecognize that other implementations may be performed in combinationwith other types of program modules. Generally, program modules includeroutines, programs, components, data structures, and other types ofstructures that perform particular tasks or implement particularabstract data types.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that aspects of thesubject matter described herein may be practiced on or in conjunctionwith other computer system configurations beyond those described herein,including multiprocessor systems, microprocessor-based or programmableconsumer electronics, minicomputers, mainframe computers, handheldcomputers, mobile telephone devices, tablet computing devices,special-purposed hardware devices, network appliances, and the like.

Although the subject matter presented herein has been described inlanguage specific to computer structural features, methodological acts,and computer readable media, it is to be understood that the inventiondefined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to thespecific features, acts, or media described herein. Rather, the specificfeatures, acts, and media are disclosed as example forms of implementingthe subject matter recited in the claims.

The subject matter described above is provided by way of illustrationonly and should not be construed as limiting. Furthermore, the claimedsubject matter is not limited to implementations that solve any or alldisadvantages noted in any part of this disclosure. Variousmodifications and changes may be made to the subject matter describedherein without following the examples and applications illustrated anddescribed, and without departing from the spirit and scope of thepresent invention, which is set forth in the following claims.

1-20. (canceled)
 21. A method, comprising: operating an autonomousvehicle in an environment in a first travel mode, the first travel modeassociated with a first set of parameters; sending, to a remotecomputing device via a network, a request to operate the autonomousvehicle in a second travel mode; receiving, based at least in part onthe request, a signal to operate the autonomous vehicle in the secondtravel mode, the second travel mode being associated with a second setof parameters different from the first set of parameters; and operatingthe autonomous vehicle based at least in part on the second set ofparameters.
 22. The method of claim 21, wherein the first set ofparameters or the second set of parameters comprises one or more of: amaximum speed, a trajectory, a drive line, or a set of traffic rules 23.The method of claim 21, wherein operating the autonomous vehicle basedat least in part on the second set of parameters comprises controllingthe autonomous vehicle to at least one of: move from a first road laneto a second road lane, or accelerate from a first speed to a secondspeed greater than the first speed.
 24. The method of claim 21, furthercomprising causing, based at least in part on the request, an additionalautonomous vehicle in the environment to receive a third set ofparameters and to remain outside a path of the autonomous vehicle. 25.The method of claim 24, wherein the third set of parameters comprisesone or more of a maximum speed, a trajectory, a drive line, or a set oftraffic rules for the additional autonomous vehicle to follow in theenvironment.
 26. The method of claim 21, wherein the request isgenerated in response to an input received from a passenger of theautonomous vehicle and via an input device.
 27. The method of claim 21,wherein the second set of parameters is based at least in part on roadnetwork data associated with a current location of the autonomousvehicle, the road network data comprising one or more of: an indicationof a lane width, a speed limit, a traffic rule, a traffic signal, a roadnetwork, or a map.
 28. The method of claim 21, wherein at least one of:the first set of parameters includes at least one of a first speed limitand the second set of parameters includes at least one of a second speedlimit which is different than the first speed limit, the first set ofparameters includes a first suspension setting and the second set ofparameters includes a second suspension setting that is different thanthe first suspension setting, or the first set of parameters includes afirst path having a first path width and the second set of parametersincludes a second path having a second path width that is different thanthe first path width.
 29. A system comprising: one or more processors;and one or more computer-readable media storing instructions executableby the one or more processors, wherein the instructions configure thesystem to: operate an autonomous vehicle in an environment in a firsttravel mode, the first travel mode associated with a first set ofparameters; send, to a remote computing device via a network, a requestto operate the autonomous vehicle in a second travel mode; receive,based at least in part on the request, a signal to operate theautonomous vehicle in the second travel mode, the second travel modebeing associated with a second set of parameters different from thefirst set of parameters; and operate the autonomous vehicle based atleast in part on the second set of parameters.
 30. The system of claim29, wherein the first set of parameters or the second set of parameterscomprise one or more of: a speed limit, a drive envelope width, a set oftraffic rules, or a suspension setting.
 31. The system of claim 29,wherein the instructions further configure the system to receive aninput from a passenger of the autonomous vehicle indicative of therequest.
 32. The system of claim 29, wherein: the first set ofparameters includes a first suspension setting, the second set ofparameters includes a second suspension setting different from the firstsuspension setting, and operating the autonomous vehicle based at leastin part on the second set of parameters comprises operating a suspensioncomponent of the autonomous vehicle according to the second suspensionsetting.
 33. The system of claim 29, wherein: the first set ofparameters defines a first path having a first width, and the second setof parameters defines a second path having a second width different fromthe first width of the first path.
 34. The system of claim 29, whereinthe instructions further configure the system to: receive road networkdata corresponding to a current location of the autonomous vehicle, andwherein the second set of parameters is further based at least in parton the road network data and the road network data comprises one or moreof: an indication of a lane width, a speed limit, a traffic rule, atraffic signal, a road network, or a map.
 35. The system of claim 29,wherein to operate the autonomous vehicle based at least in part on thesecond set of parameters comprises controlling the autonomous vehicle toat least one of: move from a first road lane to a second road lane, oraccelerate from a first speed to a second speed greater than the firstspeed.
 36. The system of claim 29, wherein the instructions furtherconfigure the system to cause, based at least in part on the request, anadditional autonomous vehicle in the environment to receive a third setof parameters and to remain outside a path of the autonomous vehicle.37. An autonomous vehicle in communication with a remote computingdevice via a network, the autonomous vehicle comprising: a networkinterface configured to: provide, to the remote computing device via thenetwork, a request for a travel mode; and receive, based at least inpart on the request, a signal to operate the autonomous vehicle; and avehicle controller configured to: operate the autonomous vehicle inaccordance with a first set of parameters prior to the request for thetravel mode being provided; and operate the autonomous vehicle inaccordance with a second set of parameters based at least in part on thesignal being received.
 38. The autonomous vehicle of claim 37, whereinoperating the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the first set ofparameters causes the autonomous vehicle to travel within a firstcorridor of a road network, the first corridor having a first envelopewidth, and operating the autonomous vehicle in accordance with thesecond set of parameters by the vehicle controller causes the autonomousvehicle to travel within a second corridor of the road network, thesecond corridor having a second envelope width greater than the firstenvelope width.
 39. The autonomous vehicle of claim 37, wherein: thefirst set of parameters specifies a first region in which the vehiclecontroller is permitted to control the autonomous vehicle to operate,the second set of parameters specifies a second region in which thevehicle controller is permitted to control the autonomous vehicle tooperate, the second region being different than the first region, andthe first set of parameters or the second set of parameters comprise oneor more of a speed limit, a set of traffic rules, a suspension setting,or a drive envelope width.
 40. The autonomous vehicle of claim 37,wherein operating the autonomous vehicle in accordance with the secondset of parameters causes the autonomous vehicle to at least one of: movefrom a first road lane to a second road lane different from the firstroad lane, accelerate from a first speed to a second speed greater thanthe first speed, or adjust a suspension of the autonomous vehicle.